The deaths of two more people in China and two in Turkey have brought the global toll from bird flu to 78, the World Health Organisation said today as it urged stepped-up preparation in case the illness turns into a pandemic strain.

A SIX-YEAR-OLD Chinese boy who contracted bird flu late last month is in a critical condition.

A six-year-old Chinese boy who contracted bird flu late last month is in a critical condition, state media reported today.