May 19, 2006

FAO says bird flu funds should be used on animals, not humans
 

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urged the international community on Thursday (May 18) to re-adjust their priorities when allocating funds in their efforts to fight bird flu.

Most of the US$9 billion pledged by the world to fight bird flu was spent on prevention measures in case of a human pandemic. However, bird flu is fundamentally a disease of animals, said FAO Director General Jack Diouf at the FAO's 28th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific Region.

While the FAO agrees that measures taken so far are helpful, the strategy should focus on stopping bird flu at poultry level while making pandemic preparations the second line of defense, he said.

The money used on animals is marginal compared to money put into fighting the possible pandemic at the human level, the director said.

The risk of transmission to human beings would be minimised if countries are able to eliminate the virus or control the number of infections in animals, he said.

The director stressed the need for international cooperation and a prompt response to the threat.

The crisis is international in scale and no one is immune, he warned.