The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in an outbreak among domestic and wild fowl in Iran for the first time.

The head of Iran's Veterinary Organization has warned against eating fowl from the northern part of the country. Mojtaba Norouzi says his agency has destroyed hundreds of thousands of birds in an effort to prevent the spread of bird flu.

A chicken vendor waits for customers at a market in Jakarta, 16 August 2007 (file photo)

Elsewhere, an eight-year-old Indonesian boy has died from the virus. The death toll from the disease is now 97 in Indonesia, which has suffered more bird flu fatalities than any other country.

Officials in Ukraine say there is an outbreak of the disease on the Crimean peninsula. More than 150 chickens were found dead at a farm in the village of Rivne. Authorities have sealed off the town.

In eastern India, health workers are battling an outbreak of the disease in West Bengal province and have been told to kill 400,000 chickens. Despite the risk of infection, local poultry owners continue to handle and consume the birds.

The World Health Organization says more than 200 people have died from the bird flu virus since its discovery in Asia in 2003. Researchers fear the virus could mutate and become transmittable between humans.