Government is monitoring the spread of the deadly ?Bird Flu? in Asia and will follow guidelines from the World Health Organisation as they are issued, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said this week.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, has claimed the lives of eight people in Thailand and Vietnam in recent weeks.

Across Asia, millions of chickens and ducks have been killed ? by the disease or in government-ordered culls aimed at containing it ? as the virus spread through ten countries in recent weeks, with China the latest to announce an outbreak.

?It is still under review and we have not put out a travel advisory,? Dr. Cann said.

?We will follow the recommendations on from the World Health Organisation. ?I don?t think that people need to be overly concerned at this point.?

The World Health Organisation?s website said all birds are thought to be susceptible to infection with avian influenza, though some species were more resistant to infection than others.

Infection causes a wide spectrum of symptoms in birds, ranging from mild illness to a highly contagious and rapidly fatal disease resulting in severe epidemics.