UN, December 18 (RIA Novosti) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring a recent outbreak of bird flu among humans in northwest Pakistan that left two dead, the UN press center said.

The WHO website reported that eight people in Pakistan were suspected of suffering from the virus, stating: "the cases were detected following a series of culling operations in response to outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry. One of the cases has now recovered and a further two suspected cases have since died."

Pakistan's health ministry initially said that six people had tested positive for the virus and that steps were being taken to prevent any spread.

The outbreak is reported to have started in an area to the north of the capital Islamabad and all the suspected victims - four brothers and two cousins- had been slaughtering chickens. Two of the brothers died.

International health experts are working in the area to investigate whether the outbreak was transmitted through human-to-human contact. WHO is urging countries to be on the alert following the outbreak and report any suspected cases.

Russia has seen a number of outbreaks this year. Last week 500,000 chickens were culled at a poultry farm in southern Russia, after 35,000 birds died from the disease. And in September 230,000 birds were culled at a farm in the Krasnodar Territory.

Although cases of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza have not been reported, around 208 people have died from the virus, which scientists are concerned could mutate into a strain easily spread among humans causing a global pandemic.