Experts dismiss scare over bird flu.

Facts about bird flu:

• Flu viruses occur naturally among birds.
• It was first described as "fowl plague" in Italy in 1878.
• Wild birds carry the viruses in their intestines but seldom become ill.
• Domesticated birds like chickens, ducks and turkeys can become sick or die.
• True bird-to-human transmission was not recognized before 1997.
• At least 120 people have fallen ill from avian flu; at least 60 have died.
• Human-to-human transmission has not yet been proven.