January 20, 2006

Six countries listed as priorities for bird flu funding

Six countries affected by bird flu, all in Asia, have been identified as key targets for funding in the International Donors Conference that closed in Beijing on Wednesday.

The countries were Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam.

A report from the conference listed the six nations as bird flu-infected or high-risk countries.

Major needs were in South Asia and East Asia, said the United Nation's coordinator on avian and human influenza David Nabarro. However, he also noted that avian influenza has become much more dangerous in eastern Europe especially in Turkey and Ukraine. Funding may be shifted as the disease evolves, he said.

Nearly 700 representatives from over 100 countries and 20 international institutions gathered at a conference in Beijing to raise funds to fight bird flu on Jan 17.

A total of US$1.9 billion was pledged, among which US$121.6 million was from the European Commission, US$134.9 million from the EU, US$468 million from the Asian Development Bank, US$334 million from the United States and US$155 million from Japan.