June 21, 2005

China to clarify on bird flu antibiotic misuse

Following a report on China repeatedly using the amantadine antibiotic on poultry, and possibly rendering it useless against bird flu, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said it will be seeking China's clarification on the issue.

According to the FAO, the chances for a resistant bird flu virus against misused antibiotics would be high.

The FAO said it is still awaiting information from the Chinese government.