Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com). Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it exclusively produces is in the public domain. Conference: Deadly Bird Flu Could Spread Globally ------------------------------------------------- http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=CBD626:2AB91D3 World Organization for Animal Health says bird flu that has killed 50 people in Asia could spread to other parts of the world A global animal health organization says the bird flu outbreak that has killed 50 people in Asia since 2003 could spread to other parts of the world. World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Director Bernard Vallat made this statement Thursday at a conference in Paris that also included officials from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). The French news agency AFP quotes Mr. Vallat as saying North Korea, which recently reported its own bird flu cases, officially asked his agency for help. A WHO official, Francois-Xavier Meslin, says 79 human cases of bird flu have been reported in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, with a mortality rate of 62 percent. (Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.) .