A senior official from the United Nations announced today that the cost of combating the spread of avian influenza in Southeast Asian countries over the next 2-3 years will reach $102 million.
“If the outbreak spreads from Eastern Europe to Africa, we will need an additional $75 million for emergency measures,” said Subhash Morvaria, an official from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Bangkok. He urged countries to prioritize avian flu control as a main strategy to prevent the avian flu virus from mutating into a strain that could trigger a global pandemic.
“As long as the disease continues to affect backyard poultry, it remains a threat to humans. Therefore, we must focus on controlling the disease in animals,” he stated.
This morning, Larry Granger, an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, also emphasized the need for Pacific nations to collaborate in combating avian influenza and potentially face a human flu pandemic. “Each country should implement measures to address avian flu and work together against influenza. We cannot solely focus on human health and the consequences of a flu pandemic without considering its impact on animal health and migratory birds, which could facilitate the outbreak,” he remarked.
Also today, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer urged people to remain calm amid rising concerns over the spread of avian influenza. “We should not panic at this time, and we must not exaggerate the risks of an outbreak,” he stated before participating in a meeting with officials from 21 member countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Vietnam and Cambodia, both countries reporting fatalities from avian influenza, have today requested technical and financial assistance from other nations in their fight against the virus.
T.VY (Aggregated)
