Bird flu spreads in Asia

BEIJING - Three Asian nations reported more outbreaks of bird flu in poultry yesterday, a day after health experts unveiled a US$1 billion ($1.47 billion) global plan to halt the spread of the virus.

China, Vietnam and Thailand said they had more outbreaks as the region heads into the northern winter, when the H5N1 avian flu virus seems to thrive.

Vietnam, where the virus has killed 42 people, will send soldiers and police to help contain avian flu and Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat called on provincial authorities to do more.

"We must launch a campaign to build each hamlet, each commune into a stronghold for fighting the epidemic," Phat was quoted as saying in Nong Nghiep Vietnam, a newspaper run by his ministry.

"In an emergency, the army will be deployed to isolate the infected area," he said.

Adding to the unease, the sudden death of a flock of ducks also suggested a more virulent strain was at work, another Vietnamese official said.

Experts fear H5N1 could mutate into a form that passes easily among people, just like human influenza. If it does, millions could die because they would have no immunity.

Chinese state media reported two new outbreaks in poultry in the northeast, bringing the total number of outbreaks to six since the start of last month. Thailand said tests confirmed the presence of H5N1 in two provinces next to the capital Bangkok, a city of 10 million people.

Health and veterinary officials from around the globe ended a three-day meeting in Geneva on Wednesday and announced a strategy aimed at rooting out bird flu among poultry and stopping it from spawning a pandemic.

"What is important to me is there has been consensus and clarity, (and) much better coordination. We'll be much quicker to control avian influenza as a result," David Nabarro, the UN's chief bird flu coordinator, told reporters after the meeting at the World Health Organisation.

WHO chief Lee Jong-Wook said the strategy aimed to boost early warning systems, strengthen veterinary services, make it easier for rich and poor nations alike to get antiviral drugs and step up research into pandemic vaccines.

"Investments are urgently needed at the national level, potentially reaching US$1 billion over the next three years," he said.

The H5N1 virus is endemic in poultry across Asia, where it is known to have infected 124 people and killed 64. It has been found in birds in eastern Europe and there are fears migrating flocks could take it to the Middle East and Africa.

Indonesia reported its sixth death on Wednesday, but this is still subject to final test results.

Officials in Kuwait said on Thursday the country had culled two birds infected with avian flu, the first confirmed cases in the Gulf Arab region.

They said the birds -- an exotic bird imported from Asia and a migratory flamingo -- were found to be carrying H5N2, a less virulent strain of avian influenza.

It remains hard for people to catch bird flu but health officials say it is crucial to stop the virus spreading in birds before it infects more people.

China, the world's most populous nation, is showing just how hard it is to control the virus, which has so far defied a mass culling campaign involving thousands of paramilitary police.

Xinhua news agency said the new outbreaks occurred in villages near Heishan in Liaoning province, where last week's outbreak was reported.

China has already killed 10 million birds in Liaoning and Premier Wen Jiabao warned this week that the country was facing a "very serious situation".

China has yet to report a human case of bird flu, though the WHO is helping probe a possible human case in Hunan province, which had an outbreak in October.

The virus is also spreading fast in Vietnam and the urgency there was reinforced by Veterinary Institute head Truong Van Dung, who told a government meeting that bird flu might have become more virulent.

He cited the death of a flock of ducks in Bac Giang province within three to four hours even though none showed symptoms of the virus while alive but tested positive afterwards.

Asia-Pacific leaders will put prevention of a bird flu pandemic high on the agenda of their annual summit next week, and discuss plans on how to co-ordinate and minimise damage from an outbreak.

"It is critical that Apec member economies recognise this regional threat and prepare to mitigate the impacts of an avian influenza pandemic," a draft proposal reads.

Afghanistan, a stopover point for birds during their annual migration from Siberia to warmer Indian subcontinent, said on Thursday it had banned duck hunting and imports of live poultry. The country has not reported any cases of H5N1.

- REUTERS