March 17, 2006

UN warns urgent action, aid needed to curb bird flu

The UN's top official for bird flu warned the international community Thursday (March 16) that more urgent attention and aid was needed to curb the spread of the deadly strain of the virus, especially in Africa.

"There is a need for the whole world to recognise that we are in the midst of an expanding situation that will need an expanded response," Dr David Nabarro told reporters after talks with EU officials.

He told the European Commission, which has already pledged millions in aid to a global donors fund, more funds would be needed in the long term.

"With the expansion of bird flu into more and more countries it is inevitable that the whole world's going to need to continue to invest more in tackling, or helping countries tackle, the problem," Nabarro said.

The UN bird flu chief said he was travelling to Gabon next week, where he would hold talks with representatives from 40 African nations over what measures they could take to stem the spread of the virus among poultry and wild birds there.

Nabarro said he hoped to get a sense at those talks what practical aid richer nations and UN agencies could provide to those countries, which are less able to provide resources to fight the disease.

"They are going to need all the support we can give them," he said.

Nabarro said a recent visit to Nigeria opened his eyes to the "enormous challenges" in containing the spread of the H5N1 virus there, due to the widespread poverty and lack of resources needed to set up proper controls.

European nations, many of which have already confirmed outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in wild birds, are trying to prevent the virus from spreading to farm flocks, which would deal a severe blow to the poultry industry and pose an increased hazard to humans who work with chickens.