Bird flu 'could spread'

2006-01-18 16:33

Rome - Bird flu could become entrenched in the Black Sea, Caucasus and Near East regions and could spread in the spring to Europe and Africa through trade and bird migrations, warned the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday.

FAO deputy director-general David Harcharik said: "FAO is concerned that with trade, the movement of people and animals and migratory birds, new countries could become infected."

Harcharik said: "Countries in Africa deserve special attention."

He said its presence in Turkey meant it had reached a country that lies at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa.

Harcharik said: "There is a real risk of further spread. If it were to become rooted in the African countryside, the consequences for a continent already devastated by hunger and poverty could be truly catastrophic."

Bird flu 'cause of death'

FAO had already warned that bird flu risks became endemic in Turkey, where more than 20 people had so far tested positive for the virus.

Bird flu was now the suspected cause of the death of a woman in a village in neighbouring Iraq.

Harcharik said fighting the avian influenza virus in animals remained "the most effective and cost-effective way to reduce the likelihood of H5N1 mutating to cause a human flu pandemic".

FAO urged all countries along the routes of migratory birds to be highly vigilant and be prepared for a further spread of the disease in animals.

An international donors meeting in Beijing had pledged about $1.9bn to help poorer nations prevent and control the spread of the virus.

The bank estimated that at least $1.2bn to 1.4bn would be needed for the next three years to combat bird flu.

- SAPA