The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Hanoi

The World Health Organization warned Monday that countries should be on alert for bird flu because it is again on the move, with Pakistan reporting South Asia's first human infections and Myanmar logging its first human case.

"The key to the public health response is surveillance," said Peter Cordingley, spokesman for the WHO Western Pacific region in Manila, noting that the H5N1 virus often flares when temperatures drop during the winter months.

"If we do actually get to the cases with antivirals early on, the health outcome is a lot better," he said.

WHO experts traveled to Pakistan and were to visit a hospital and affected areas Tuesday, said WHO country representative Khalif Bile in Islamabad.

"They are here to get more information and to provide more support in the case of any potential risk," he said, adding that the country's health and agriculture ministries were now working closely with WHO following a "communication gap" when the government did not immediately report suspected cases to the U.N. health agency.

Four brothers and two cousins fell ill last month in Abbotabad, north of Islamabad, while three others who slaughtered poultry in the same area and a nearby town tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus this month.

Two of the brothers died, but specimens were collected from only one.