00:00A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World
00:08Health Organization insisted that the risk to the general population remains low.
00:13WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the H5N1 virus causing
00:20the disease is mainly a concern for those who work in animal industries who need to
00:25be better protected.
00:27It's not circulating in humans, but it is jumping into humans who are exposed, particularly
00:31those exposed to poultry or to the dairy cattle, the two sort of groups where we're seeing
00:37most of the movement from animal to human, but we're not seeing sustained circulation.
00:44The patient who died of the disease in Louisiana was over 65 and reportedly had underlying
00:49medical conditions, Dr. Harris said.
00:53According to the health authorities, he had been exposed to chickens and wild birds.
00:58Reports of bird flu cases also rose in Europe towards the end of last year, although numbers
01:03remain lower than in previous years.
