Jackie Chan fighting against … bird flu

Chan talks to six young children in a new public service announcement about the dangers of bird flu, the U.N. Children's Fund said Tuesday.

Photo: Jackie Chan fighting against … bird flu

While playing with colorful origami birds with the six children, Chan tells them that birds can pass on avian flu to people, so it's important to stay away from sick and dead birds, especially chickens.

He then adds that "playing with paper birds is fine," UNICEF said in a statement.

The children in the one-minute video, ranging in age from 6 to 9, came from various countries and were filmed in Hong Kong with Chan in May.

The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus re-emerged in Southeast Asia in 2003 and has spread to Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

More than 200 million fowl have been killed by the virus or slaughtered to control its spread, the statement said.

At least 238 people have been sickened by the virus, including at least 139 who died, mostly in Asia, according to the World Health Organization. Most had contact with sick birds, the AP reports.

The public service announcement was produced by UNICEF, WHO and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and was funded by the Japanese government.