January 13, 2006

ASEAN to raise funds to fight bird flu

The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) plans to raise US$95 million at its meeting next week to implement a regional strategy to fight bird flu.

There was an urgent need for international donors to support the strategy, as the disease has been present in the region for more than two years, said Aziz Mangkat, deputy director-general of Malaysia's department of veterinary services. He added that at present, some member countries are still struggling to bring it under control.

A bird flu task force commissioned by ASEAN said that flu prevention and control, surveillance measures and alert systems were inadequate in some member countries. There was also resistance to poultry culling by some farmers due to meagre compensation.

The bird flu task force will be presenting a three-year regional action plan at the donor meeting. According to that report, ASEAN will require US$95 million to control and eradicate the disease.

Potential donors at the meeting include the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the United States, the European Union and Japan.

An example of how the funds could be used in an alert system was implemented in Thailand on Jan 10. A 24-hour anti-flu network was set up so that specialists would be able to respond to the disease whenever and wherever it breaks out, according to Thai Public Health Minister Pinit Jarusombat.

Physicians attached to the network will give medical advice to private and public hospitals and health care units nationwide so they can promptly and effectively treat bird flu patients anytime.

Thailand had five human cases of bird flu last year, including two fatalities.