January 3, 2006

Asia gets another US$25 million against bird flu

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a US$25-million grant this year to help the region avert a possible bird flu outbreak.

By using the grant as an incentive for the early reporting and effective containment of likely bird flu cases, the project aims to significantly reduce the prevalence of bird flu among poultry and the risk of human infection, said ADB.

ADB also earlier announced that it would provide at least US$470 million in the medium term to help Asia better prepare against the bird flu virus.

Out of this amount, US$300 million will be allotted in loan savings to finance new projects in China, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, to boost cooperation and disease control in the region.

The bank had warned that a bird flu outbreak could halt Asia's growth rate, push developed countries and the global economy into recession, and reduce global trade of goods and services by 14 percent.