January 13, 2006

 

International donors ready to help Asia fight bird flu
 

 

International donors on Friday said they were ready to help developing Asian countries prepare for a potential flu pandemic, but a delegate from the EU said the bloc will not fund the stockpiling of drugs and instead focus on improving animal health measures.

 

During a meeting two months ago in Geneva, funding of about US$1.5 billion for three years was earmarked to help countries preparing for a potential flu pandemic. A pledging meeting scheduled in Beijing next week will determine whether that amount can be met.

 

The funding will be used to prepare for a pandemic in both the human health and animal health sectors, including helping to establish regional stockpiles of antiviral drugs used to fight avian influenza in humans.

 

James Le Duc, of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told delegates at the two-day rapid response conference in Tokyo that the US is committed to making a substantial investment to help build regional drug stockpiles. Health experts believe the drugs could help stall the spread of a pandemic flu strain if people in affected areas are treated quickly enough.

 

But Patrick Deboyser, representing the European Commission, said the EU instead wants to make an investment in improving veterinary services, including detection and laboratory facilities. It will not fund regional stockpiling efforts, he said.

 

"This disease is really affecting everyone who lives in these countries," said Deboyser. "I didn't say - and it is not our view - that stockpiling doesn't make sense, but our priority is somewhere else for the moment."

 

He said he expects the EU to pledge about US$80 million at the meeting in China, but more money is expected to come from individual member countries. In addition, the Asian Development Bank said it was finishing a US$30 million grant assistance plan that is expected to be approved by the end of next month.

 

While the discussion was not limited to bird flu, health experts are especially jittery about the H5N1 virus that has ravaged poultry stocks across Asia since late 2003 and has now made its way into Europe. The disease has jumped from poultry to people, killing at least 78 humans in eastern Asia and two others in Turkey.

 

It is still relatively difficult for humans to catch the current strain, but health officials fear it could mutate into a form that spreads easily from person to person, possibly triggering a global pandemic that kills millions. So far, most human bird flu cases have been traced to contact with infected birds.

 

David Reddy, global pandemic task force leader for Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG, which manufactures the antiviral Tamiflu, told delegates the company has donated enough packets to the World Health Organization to treat three million people at the onset of a pandemic.

 

In addition, the World Bank on Thursday approved a fund of about US$500 million that will allow money for pandemic preparedness to flow quickly to countries in urgent need, said Jacques Baudouy, director of the Bank's Health, Nutrition and Population Human Development Network.