BIRD FLU: THE DISEASE THAT COULD KILL MILLIONS

The first birds were infected in 1996, while the disease spread to a humans for the first time in Hong Kong a year later.

It began to move throughout Asia before cases were later found in Europe

Experts have warned the high contagious disease is the world's biggest pandemic threat and could kill between 5 million and 150 million people.

The disease is expected to continue mutating within birds but has largely been brought under control in Asia due to vaccination programmes.

Seventeen governments around the world are preparing vaccines to combat a pandemic.