September 18, 2006
UN bird flu chief says funds needed to help Indonesia
The UN bird flu chief said Friday (Sep 15) he would urge the international community to release badly needed funds to help Indonesia fight the virus that has killed at least 49 people in the sprawling archipelago.
David Nabarro, the world body's coordinator for bird flu, made the comments after Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie assured him the government had increased its own spending on the virus, as demanded by the
"Now it is my job to go to the donors and say get your money into Indonesia as quickly as you can," Nabarro said, adding that while Indonesia was making progress in fighting bird flu, there was much work ahead.
Meanwhile, World Bank and UN experts said on Sunday that Africa and East Asia, especially Indonesia and China, are particularly at risk for bird flu outbreaks despite progress in combating the disease in many countries.
"We are worried within the African continent that we don't have access yet to the same level of resources as we have for East Asia and Eastern Europe," said Jim Adams, who heads the World Bank's bird flu task force. He was speaking on the sidelines of the bank's annual meeting.
Nabarro also expressed concern about the widespread appearance of the virus in Africa but said the greatest worries still were in East Asia.
