The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has approved an
emergency assistance project to China for the control of bird flu,
according to the China Office of the FAO.
Gamal Ahmed, the FAO's Chinese representative, said that the FAO
will allocate up to 390,000 US dollars to allow two international
consultants and two Chinese consultants to do field work in China.
The FAO will also provide necessary equipment and training to help
China combat the epidemic.
China confirmed its first bird flu outbreak in the Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region on Jan. 27 this year. So far, the country
has reported 23 bird flu outbreaks, including five confirmed ones
and 18 suspected ones. The spread of bird flu has been brought
under control, and no case of transmission to a human being has
been found so far.
"The quick actions taken by the government are appropriate, and
the FAO is impressed by what the government has done so far," said
Ahmed. "The FAO stands ready to assist and cooperate with China in
the matter."
Ahmed said that, following the first outbreak confirmed in
China, the FAO has cooperated closely with the Ministry of
Agriculture. Ahmed said that the ministry has kept him updated
about the epidemic situation in China.
Meanwhile, the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture have agreed
to hold meetings once a week on the bird flu issue.
Ahmed also called for regional cooperation in combating the
cross-boundary epidemic. "Governments should openly share data and
information about their control campaigns in view of the regional
dimension of the crisis," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2004)