Bird flu said to have claimed another victim in Vietnam

A doctor in Vietnam said yesterday that another person had died of bird flu, bringing the region's toll to 11.

The World Health Organisation is meanwhile investigating the deaths of two Vietnamese sisters who may have caught the disease through contact with their brother in what would be the first human-to-human transmission in the outbreak sweeping Asia.

The WHO said there was no evidence yet of a new strain that could easily be passed among people.

China yesterday announced five new suspected cases in poultry, including one in its remote north-western region of Xinjiang, underlining the potentially broad range of the disease.

Xinjiang is more than 2000km from Guangxi, where China's first case of bird flu was confirmed last week.

China now has three confirmed cases and eight suspected cases in a total of 10 regions spanning the country.

Shanghai has halted trade of live poultry in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.

China has yet to report any human cases of the flu.