Bird flu risk remains low after first US death, says WHO

GENEVA - The risk to the general population from H5N1 bird flu remains low, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

The patient, who was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalised with the virus in December after exposure to a combination of backyard chickens and wild birds, Louisiana health officials said.

"We are concerned, of course, but we look at the risk to the general population and ... it still remains low," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told reporters at a Geneva press briefing in response to questions about the risks of the virus.

Asked whether US monitoring of the virus was sufficient, she said: "They are doing a lot of surveillance. That's why we're hearing about it."

Nearly 70 people in the US have contracted bird flu since April, most of them farmworkers, as the virus has circulated among poultry flocks and dairy herds, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Like the WHO, US federal and state officials have said the risk to the general public remains low.

- REUTERS