UN study finds primary forces behind bird flu outbreaks

The UN food and agriculture organisation (FAO) has identified the primary forces behind avian flu in Thailand and Vietnam.

Research into the three outbreaks of HN51 bird flu in the countries in 2004 and 2005 has found ducks, people and rice paddies were responsible for the epidemic.

The report says that almost all of the outbreaks can be traced to ducks which fed near rice paddies, which then spread the virus to wild birds.

Jan Slingenbergh, senior veterinary officer for the FAO, told Reuters: "This provides better insight on where and when the H5N1 risk is highest, so it's possible to better pinpoint where to look for the virus or where to expect flare-ups of the disease."

The report was published in the journal proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States. The FAO wants to use the model from their research across Laos and Cambodia where there are similar land use patterns.

Bird flu has killed 236 people in Asia since its detection in 2003 and has been blamed for the death of more than 140 million domestic birds.