| United nations battles bird flu Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/07/06/afx2125107.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/07/06/afx2125107.html
AFX News Limited WHO calls for additional 150 mln usd to combat bird flu in humans 07.06.2005, 08:47 AM
KUALA LUMPUR (AFX) - An estimated 150 mln usd is needed to combat the spread of the deadly bird flu virus in humans, including preparing for a possible pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
A meeting of donor nations could be held 'very shortly', perhaps by the end of the year, said WHO Pacific region director Shigeru Omi at the close of a three-day international conference on preventing the spread of the disease.
The funds are in addition to the 100 mln usd that United Nations experts meeting here this week said it will cost to combat avian influenza among animals over the next decade.
'This is a ballpark figure subject to changes, because the situation is very fluid,' Omi told reporters.
The extra 150 mln dollars will cover the 'human aspect' of bird flu, including a response to any outbreak and providing vaccines to try to ward off a pandemic, he said of the figure finalized here this week by WHO officials.
It will also be spent on boosting the resources and skills of countries affected by bird flu, including improving laboratories, developing vaccines, monitoring and public education.
Funds will also be needed to provided personal protective equipment for people most at risk of infection, Omi said.
Hitoshi Oshitani, a key WHO policy advisor and strategist who has been working on the details of the 150 mln usd estimate, said that less than 10 mln dollars had so far been pledged by donor countries.
The WHO is currently in negotiation with donors, and the United States is expected to provide about 25 mln usd, he told reporters.
Oshitani said that besides prevention measures, the money will also be spent on preparing for the worst-case scenario of a avian flu pandemic in humans.
'We need to prepare for the pandemic, so pandemic preparedness activities are included,' he said.
The Kuala Lumpur meeting comes after a surge in bird flu deaths, particularly in Vietnam, raised concerns the virus may mutate to a form easily transmitted between humans and spark a pandemic that could kill millions.
Two UN agencies, the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization, along with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), have appealed for 100 mln usd to be raised over three years to combat the disease in animals.
A total of 55 people have died from bird flu in Asia, including 39 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and four in Cambodia, since the outbreak began in 2003.
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