Bird Flu

Bird flu, or Avian Influenza (H5N1), is a highly contagious poultry disease that is caused by Type A influenza virus. Although the disease causes high mortalities in poultry, it is not passed easily from human to human.

There have been six cases of bird flu fatality in Indonesia. On 28 March, TODAY reported that a 17-year old boy from eastern Lombok island, Indonesia, died of the virus. According to Health Ministry spokeswoman Murti Utami, the boy came into contact with infected chickens and developed symptoms in early March.

There have been no cases of Avian Influenza (H5N1) detected in Singapore, either in humans or poultry. While the risk to Singapore is very low at the moment, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) advise all travellers to remain vigilant and adopt good hygiene practises.