December 22, 2005

US congress urged to pass bird flu funding

The US government needs billions of dollars from congress to better prepare for the possibility of a bird flu outbreak, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Wednesday.

The Senate is considering US$3.8 billion for bird flu preparedness in a defence bill passed by the House early Monday. Agriculture plays a small but crucial role in protecting poultry flocks, and Johanns's agency would get nearly US$100 million of the money.

"We'll absolutely do the best we can with the resources we have," Johanns said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Needless to say, that would really help our efforts here."

The Agriculture Department already is conducting surveillance and has a vaccination programme. But that is "probably not to the extent we could do, that's for sure, with the additional funding," Johanns told the AP.