Spread of bird flu - Virus threat must not be ignored

EUROPE is holding its breath as Turkey struggles to contain the spread of bird flu after a 15th person had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus seen in Asia.

The major question that remains to be answered is whether the killer flu there is communicable between humans.

Worryingly, each new human case increases the chance of the virus mutating into a form that could be passed from human to human. If that happens, a pandemic could be triggered in which millions of people could die around the world.