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Outbreaks of bird flu in poultry have been reported in several countries including the UK, Norway, South Korea, Germany and Japan. In China, one particular subtype of avian flu has spread to 21 people, and there are several different subtypes now in circulation. These are all descendants of the H5N1 virus that caused infections amongst people in Hong Kong in 1997. Dr Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, explains that the risk to human health is low but the implications are high. He says it's rare for cases to jump from birds to people, but when they do, it can be very dangerous. Photo: Chickens at a farm in Germany Credit: Reuters