The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said Wednesday that there is no evidence the H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated in Indonesia.

"Nothing demonstrates that the virus has mutated or recombined, " Bernard Vallat, director general of the global watchdog for veterinary standards in farm trade, told reporters.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said earlier in the day that limited human-to-human transmission of bird flu may have occurred in the Indonesian family -- but that there was no evidence it had mutated into an easily transmissible form.

The OIE chief confirmed there was currently "no cause for concern", but didn't exclude a new epidemic event if further tests reveal significant changes to the genetic sequences of the virus.

More than 120 people have died from bird flu since it re- emerged as a threat in 2003, mostly in Asia.

Source: Xinhua