A health expert has warned of a potential bird flu pandemic after noting mutations in the H5N1 influenza virus that allow it to survive longer.

Thai Public Health Ministry senior health expert Dr Tawee Chotpitayasunondh said an avian flu pandemic could return in the near future, citing a report from 2009 that showed the H5N1 virus had mutated and could live for longer periods in animals’ bodies.

Read more: The Nation