The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday warned that a pandemic of the bird flu strain lethal to humans is inevitable, and would likely kill between one and seven million people worldwide, Reuters reports.

Dr. Jai P. Narain, Director of WHO's communicable diseases department, took time out from a Southeast Asia health summit in Sri Lanka to tell the press: "We may be at almost the last stage before the pandemic virus may emerge. Whether the avian influenza pandemic will occur, that is not the question any more, [but] as to when the pandemic will occur."

Bird flu has now reached six Russian regions and Kazakhstan, wiping out 14,000 fowl. Narain noted that "migrating birds posed a serious risk of spreading avian flu around the world and Asia was very vulnerable as winter approaches", adding: "The virus has been detected in migratory birds in some former Soviet states where these birds traditionally fly toward Asia to escape the cold winter months."

Narain warned that scientists were now concerned not just about poultry, but a "whole range of bird species".

Russia, meanwhile, has struggled to contain an outbreak of bird flu in the Urals, which it believes could spread west with migrating birds. In Holland, the authorites recently ordered all free-range hens, ducks and geese to be kept indoors at night in an attempt to protect them from possible infection. ®

Related stories

• French farmers suffer bird flu woes (27 February 2006)
• Bird flu menaces British monarchy (21 February 2006)
• Bird flu menace poised to cross the Channel (20 February 2006)
• Bird flu stoppable, says WHO (12 January 2006)
• Scientists issue chilling crop top warning (22 December 2005)
• Bird flu flamingo culled in Kuwait (11 November 2005)
• Bird flu seagull actually pissed (3 November 2005)
• Spammers punt 'snake oil' avian flu cure (26 October 2005)
• Bird flu fever hits eBay (18 October 2005)
• Bird flu: you'll die but your IT will survive (18 October 2005)
• Deadly 1918 flu virus lives again (6 October 2005)
• UK mulls pig clampdown to combat bird flu (24 August 2005)
• Bird flu fears see Holland's hens ordered inside (22 August 2005)
• Russia struggles to contain bird flu outbreak (16 August 2005)
• Migrating birds could spread 'bird flu' to Europe (3 August 2005)
• UK to stockpile bird-flu vaccine (21 July 2005)
• Bird flu: we're all going to die (2 June 2005)