It was successfully given to primates in tests.
Also, South China is a notorious hot house for all manner of viral infections due to the area's primitive intensive agriculture, placing humans, chickens, and pigs in close (and extremely filthy) proximity. Viruses spread back and forth inter-species, constantly mutating and with escalating virulence.
Because of this chronic public health hazard, South China is the source for most of the world's new strains of flu, colds, and other diseases.
The only exception is AIDS, which originated in Africans bush-meat eating of monkey brains, spread by gay flight attendents to the West and local "sex workers" to kill 1/5 of the Sub-Sahara heterosexual population.
I posted this bit of information on another thread last night.
"From Today's News: Independent (UK)"
"* A Dutch vet became the first human victim linked to the "bird flu" epidemic sweeping through Holland's poultry industry. The vet died of pneumonia after being infected by the virus which, although rarely transmitted to humans, killed six people in Hong Kong after emerging in 1997.""
I thought this virus had been contained after China killed millions of chickens.