Bird flu spread in Turkey sparks new fears

Bird flu in humans appears to be spreading in Turkey, with three people in Ankara testing positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in preliminary tests, representing the first suspected cases outside the eastern city of Van.

Health officials caution that the virus has so far only been confirmed in humans who were in close and prolonged contact with fowl, but are monitoring the virus for fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible among humans and spark a pandemic.