'No evidence' mutant bird flu virus poses increased risk to humans, WHO and FAO say

After the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "last week voiced concern about the appearance in Vietnam and China of" a mutant strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the WHO and FAO on Monday "said in a joint statement issued in response to questions from Agence France-Presse" that "[t]here is no evidence to suggest yet that this new virus strain will have any increased risk to human health," the news agency reports. "'Nevertheless, poultry producers and the general public should always take simple precautions to reduce exposure to the virus from infected poultry,' it said," the news agency writes, noting the "H5N1 virus typically spreads from birds to humans via direct contact" (9/5).