As much as $1.3 billion more is needed to fight bird flu, with more than $500 million of that going to Africa, World Bank and U.N. experts said.
Dr. David Nabarro, senior U.N. system coordinator for avian flu and human influenza, said “a lot has been achieved” in bringing the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus under control, “particularly in Southeast Asia, the Far East, and in Europe during the past few months.”
He told reporters that many Asian countries including Vietnam, Thailand and China have made substantial progress in programs to cull infected flocks and quickly control outbreaks of the virus. “But I’m afraid that the danger is still very much there,” Nabarro said.
The United Nations, the World Health Organization and other groups have said every country must step up efforts to prevent more bird flu outbreaks by watching birds and other animals more closely, moving quickly to cull infected birds, vaccinating animals and developing plans to deal with a human pandemic.