emerged in Asia in late 2003, according to WHO figures. EU veterinary experts last month extended a ban on imports of captive live birds from outside the bloc - including the Turkish Cypriot enclave - for a further four months to guard against the spread of bird flu. Experts believe the H5N1 virus is contracted through close contact with infected birds, but fear the virus may mutate to enable it to spread easily among humans, sparking a pandemic that could cause millions of deaths.
