FAO calls for continued efforts to curb bird flu in Asia
By (Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-02-26 11:33

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned Wednesday that outbreaks of bird flu are still occurring in Asia, and stressed the need for continued control campaigns.

The Rome-based agency, in a press release, estimated that about 100 million birds have already died or been culled to battle the virus, which has also led to 32 confirmed human cases, 22 of them fatal.

Surveillance and control strategies should be continued, including eliminating all birds in infected production units and strengthening biosecurity measures, FAO said. "The situation in some countries is still unclear and further epidemiological investigations are required to get the virus under control."

Countries affected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, are Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. FAO has sent disease experts to several of these nations to assess the situation and assist them in the battle against the disease.

The findings of these missions will be instrumental in understanding the origin of the epidemic and the factors that lead to such a wide and massive spread of the virus, it said.

FAO's latest appeal came one day before officials from nearly two dozen Asia-Pacific countries are to gather in Bangkok for an emergency meeting to discuss bird flu control strategies and rehabilitation measures.

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