Bird flu epidemic 'a global crisis'

Asia’s bird flu epidemic is a ”crisis of global importance”, two UN agencies warned as Thailand went on nationwide alert yesterday after the virus was confirmed in a woman whose case has raised concerns over human-to-human transmission.

Recent outbreaks among poultry in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand show that the virus is still gripping the region and probably won’t be eradicated soon, the two agencies said in a joint statement.