January 25, 2006

Arab officials call for better efforts on bird flu

Arab health officials Tuesday urged their governments to better coordinate efforts to prevent the spread of bird flu and appealed to international drug companies to help them produce anti-viral medicines locally.

The officials, meeting at the headquarters of the Cairo-based Arab League, said their governments needed to be transparent in their monitoring of and efforts to fight the virus.

"It is imperative that all countries show transparency and report any case or suspected case to the WHO or other concerned groups," said the officials in a statement.

The officials said they discussed a blueprint prepared by the Arab League for preventing the virus and creation of a fund to help poultry producers who might be affected by the culling of birds.

No cases have been reported in any of the 22-League member countries and the Palestinian territories despite bird flu scares in Lebanon and Iraq, but many Arabs have stopped eating chicken and citizens have been warned to be alert for dead birds and people with symptoms of the disease.

Two Arab countries, Iraq and Syria, border Turkey and residents fear migrating birds may already have spread the deadly virus to their countries.