Mutant bird flu strain resistant to vaccines

A mutant strain of bird flu could be resistant to vaccines, the United Nations has said.

The warning follows the deaths of eight people in Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia this year.

The new strain has infected most parts of northern and central Vietnam and could also pose a risk to Japan and the Korean peninsula, experts said.

According to the World Health Organization, avian flu has filled 331 people since 2003, but has also killed or led to the culling of over 400 million poultry.

The chief veterinary officer of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, Juan Lubroth, said number of new cases has been on the rise since 2008, spread by migratory birds.

It has recently appeared in poultry and wild birds in Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, Nepal and Mongolia.

The presence of avian flu remains strong in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. At its peak, in 2006, it had reached 63 countries, with 4,000 outbreaks.

The FAO said countries should adopt "heightened readiness and surveillance" to prepare against a resurgence of the virus.

This article was published on Tue 30 August 2011