There has been growing concern over bird flu globally in recent weeks, with a number of countries reporting cases in humans, and the first fatality from avian influenza in the US.

Bird flu is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds, and sometimes other animals. Bird migration has resulted in outbreaks of the avian flu in domestic and wild birds. The H5N1 virus is the major strain circulating among wild birds worldwide, and emerged in China in the late 1990s.

Will it become the next global pandemic?

On this episode of Breakfast Special, Professor Gavin Smith, Director of the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School shares his expert insights.

Presented by: Audrey Siek
Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Assistant Producer: Muhammad Nazirul Asrar
Photo credits: CDC/NIAID/AP