December 26, 2005

 

UN official calls on China to provide bird flu samples

 

 

A senior UN health official Friday called on China to provide the world body with samples of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying that the country was key to the global war against the disease.

 

Shigeru Omi, Asia Pacific head of the WHO, said China had so far refused to share any of the virus samples from its animal bird flu outbreaks.

 

The H5N1 strain has killed at least 71 people in Asia since 2003. China last week reported its sixth human instance of the disease and its 26th reported outbreak in poultry since Oct 19. Two people have died in China from the disease.

 

Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Omi praised China for controlling and containing bird flu, and underscored its crucial role in combating the disease worldwide.

 

"The outcome of this battle in China has ramifications not only for the region, but also for the entire world," he said. "China is truly key to the global war against H5N1."

 

However, he also criticised China for not sharing its bird flu samples with the UN.

 

"The sharing of information must be timely, regular and global," Omi said. "From the more than 30 reported outbreaks in animals from 2005, no (Chinese) viruses have been made available so far."

 

There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy between China's own bird flu count of 26 and Shigeru's slightly higher figure.

 

Over the past several months, China has mounted an aggressive campaign to fight its bird flu outbreaks.

 

The government says it has nearly completed a campaign to vaccinate all of China's 5.2 billion domesticated birds against the virus.

 

It has also established a network of officials throughout the country to raise awareness of bird flu symptoms and report on new cases.