The unidentified woman was hospitalized at Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg after complaining of nausea and fever. Authorities, while playing down the chances of infection, said that a comprehensive test was inevitable since the possibility of person-to-person transmission under current circumstances could not be ruled out entirely. Initial reports displayed no evidence of bird flu but officials have yet to secure final results.

In a related development, World Health Organization Director-General Lee Jong-Wook dismissed the necessity of imposing a travel ban on countries combatting the deadly disease, pointing out such drastic measures were not required at the moment.

Observers however remain wary as reports of two additional deaths from bird flu bring Asia's death toll to 12 on Monday. An 18-year-old boy in Vietnam died on Monday and a 58-year-old woman in Thailand who had died earlier was confirmed on the same day as a bird flu victim following an autopsy.

Arirang TV