The spread of the deadly bird flu virus to poultry in new areas on the fringes of Europe has increased the chances of human cases, the World Health Organisation said on Friday, according to Reuters. The United Nations health agency called for intensified surveillance of flocks and humans. But in a statement posted on its website, www.who.int, it said that all evidence indicated that the H5N1 virus still does not spread easily from birds to infect humans. "The spread of H5N1 to poultry in new areas is of concern as it increases opportunities for further human cases to occur," the WHO said. The deadly H5N1 strain has spread to the edges of Europe from Asia, where it has killed more than 60 people since 2003. Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed among poultry in Turkey and ducks in Romania. "The WHO advises countries experiencing outbreaks in poultry to follow certain precautions, particularly during culling operations and to monitor persons with a possible exposure history for a fever or respiratory symptoms," it said. European bird flu experts were to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday. The WHO said it was not raising its level of alert for a potential human influenza pandemic, which remains at three on a scale of five, meaning: "a virus new to humans is causing infections, but does not spread easily from one person to another".
