India today said it is closely monitoring the reported outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, and clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China, and expressed readiness to face any kind of public health issues.

The Indian health ministry said in a statement that India is at low risk from both diseases reported in China, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The World Health Organization has issued a statement on the respiratory illness in children in northern China.

"The usual causes of respiratory illness in children have been implicated and there has been no identification of an unusual pathogen or any unexpected clinical manifestations," the statement said.

A meeting was recently held under the chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services of India to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian influenza.

The overall risk assessment by WHO indicates a low probability of human-to-human spread and low case fatality rate among human cases of influenza reported to WHO so far.

However, "India is prepared for any kind of public health exigency," the ministry said. "India is embarking on a One Health approach to adopt a holistic and integrated roadmap towards addressing such public health issues."