Even with Winter Storm Dion and freezing temperatures, there’s some good news for those who dread winter and the illnesses that go with it: Not only has the 2013-2014 flu season been somewhat mild to this point, but also the deadly H7N9 flu might have less pandemic potential than originally thought, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health published in the journal Science.

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(ABOVE: What You Must Know About Flu Season 2013-2014)

Only limited human-to-human transmission of the bird flu virus appears possible; the virus would need to undergo multiple mutations from its current form to transmit between persons, according to the NIH investigation.

Unless these mutations occur, the chances of a pandemic remain low, researchers said.

(MORE: H7N9 Bird Flu Found in China, Fall’s First Case)

Earlier this year, researchers concluded that the bird flu could be one mutation away from becoming a pandemic. A few months later, a study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that the H7N9 strain could be transmitted from person to person.

To date, H7N9 influenza has killed 45 of 139 infected people, according to the World Health Organization.

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