Bird flu, or avian flu as it's sometimes called, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. However in some rare cases, it can also affect humans and although there are a variety of strains, most of them do not infect us.
In recent years however, some have been discovered which do and have been a cause of concern, says the NHS.
The news comes as a Chinese woman has become the first person to pass away from the H3N8 strain of bird flu. The 56-year-old fell sick on February 22 and was later taken to hospital with severe pneumonia where she died on March 16, as reported by the Mirror.
