Six people die from bird flu in Vietnam

SIX people have died in Vietnam from the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu and Cambodia said yesterday that two children living outside the capital Phnom Penh were suspected of having contracted the disease.

However, the outbreaks across Asia have mostly affected poultry, killing or forcing the slaughter of more than 20 million chickens.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that while the virus has so far only infected people in direct contact with chickens, it could create a deadly global pandemic if it mutates into a form transmitted through human contact.