Bird flu ‘unlikely to spread from cats to people’

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) said the threat to people is unknown but appears small after H5N1 bird flu infected a German cat, heightening fears of a future human pandemic.

“We don’t know,” said WHO spokesman Dick Thompson when asked about the risks of the disease spreading from cats to humans.

“Is it significant? That’s impossible to tell at this time, but it doesn’t appear so.”