6 Pakistanis Infected, 1 Fatally With H5N1 Bird Flu

Pakistan says six people caught the deadly strain of bird flu in the northern part of the country last month, and at least one person with it has died.

The World Health Organization has confirmed that all six cases were positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus in preliminary testing. But it says a second round of analysis is being conducted to make sure.

If confirmed, the infections would be the first in humans in South Asia.

Pakistans Health Ministry says five people had fully recovered, but one died in a hospital and his brother, who could not be tested, also died. It did not explain why the brother could not be tested.

The virus has killed more than 200 people worldwide since it began afflicting Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. Most of the human cases have been reported in Indonesia and Vietnam. But yesterday, the WHO confirmed the first case in Myanmar.

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