Two sisters in Vietnam have died after contracting bird flu and they may have caught the virus from their brother, who had also died, the World Health Organisation said today.
If confirmed, the deaths could be the first recorded human-to-human transmissions of the virus in the current epidemic, which has spread to 10 countries across Asia.
The sisters, aged 23 and 30, both died on January 23rd, a statement from the UN agency said. Their brother died before them from respiratory illness, but no samples were available from him for testing. Six other people in Vietnam have died from bird flu.
While the source of infection for the two sisters cannot be conclusively identified, "WHO considers that limited human-to-human transmission, from the brother to the sisters, is one possible explanation," the statement said.