The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has called for close monitoring of a new strain of avian flu, which emerged in China in April and appears to be spreading to new areas of South-East Asia.

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The novel bird flu strain, A(H5N6), "represents a new threat to animal health and livelihoods and must be closely monitored," FAO warned on Monday.

FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth said, "Influenza viruses are constantly mixing and recombining to form new threats. However, H5N6 is particularly worrisome, since it has been detected in several places so far from one another, and because it is so highly pathogenic, meaning infected poultry quickly become sick and, within 72 hours, death rates are very high."

Chinese authorities first reported the virus in poultry in April 2014. Since then, the disease has been detected in birds in Laos and Vietnam. FAO said that the spread of the virus, combined with its aggressive effects on chickens and geese, means it poses a real threat to bird populations and the livelihoods of millions of people in the region's poultry industries.

Bernard Vallat, director-general of veterinary health organisation OIE, which is also monitoring the situation, has called on member-countries to report any suspected outbreaks on their territories. Vallat said, "An effective surveillance and an early detection of animal disease at source are two main keys to reduce the risk of dissemination and to ensure safe trade."

Limited threat to human health

Although the disease's virulence has alarmed observers, only one case of H5N6 has so far been reported in humans. Shortly after its detection in China, there were reports of a human case of the virus, after contact with infected poultry. The case was, however, fatal.

FAO said that, although it is too early to make assessments with any degree of certainty, current indications suggest "it is unlikely that H5N6 represents an immediate and significant threat to human health."

"Current evidence suggests H5N6 poses a limited threat to human health at this stage," added WHO epidemiologist Elizabeth Mumford. "It's been detected in multiple places in poultry, yet we only have one human infection reported. This suggests that the virus does not easily jump from animals to humans. Of course, we still need to remain vigilant, because prevalence in poultry and therefore human exposure could increase during the winter."

The agriculture and health organisations are urging authorities in countries where infections have occurred to ramp up efforts to detect and report new outbreaks of the disease, and remain alert for potential human cases. FAO has also urged governments to help producers follow essential biosecurity and hygiene precautions, warning that avian flu has the potential to overwhelm South-East Asia's animal health systems.