Local Doctors Watching For Asian Bird Flu

There's a new warning for travelers and local residents about the risk of catching the deadly Asian bird flu.

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Doctors in the Northwest are now on the lookout for disease, which is spreading like wildfire.

Facts About Bird Flu

Health departments in King and Snohomish counties are urging doctors to report patients with severe respiratory illnesses who have traveled into the affected countries in Asia.

Bird flu has killed six people in Vietnam and two in Thailand.

The disease is apparently spread by chickens. There is no evidence it can be spread from person to person.

Ten governments have now reported some strain of bird flu: China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.