ASEAN approves anti-bird flu plan, creates fund

ASEAN approves anti-bird flu plan, creates fund

Joeal Calupitan and Dolly Aglay, Reuters, Tagaytay, Philippines,

Southeast Asian nations vowed on Friday to curb bird flu in the
next three years as the United Nations warned the virus could
mutate and kill up to 150 million people.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
also pledged US$2 million for a regional fund to curb animal
diseases, including avian influenza.

Bird flu has killed 66 people in four Asian countries since
late 2003 and millions of birds have been destroyed, causing
estimated losses of $10 billion to $15 billion for the poultry
industry.

"The ministers agreed that the HPAI (highly pathogenic avian
influenza) outbreak requires an all-out coordinated regional
effort," the ASEAN agriculture ministers said in a statement at
the end of their meeting in this resort city south of Manila.

ASEAN had endorsed a blueprint by a Malaysian-led task force
to eradicate the virus in the next three years, it said.

The agriculture ministers from China, Japan and South Korea,
the dialog partners of ASEAN, welcomed the regional effort to
contain bird flu and said the projects should continue beyond
2008.

The task force, recommending eight measures, proposed that
Thailand lead surveillance and diagnosis, and Malaysia take
charge of containment, emergency measures and disease-free zones.

It also proposed that strategic vaccination should be led by
Indonesia, information sharing by Singapore, and public awareness
and communications by the Philippines.

"The ministers directed the task force to urgently formulate
detailed action plans for implementation and proceed to identify
potential sources of funding," the statement said.

ASEAN countries pledged to create the animal health fund to
prevent the spread of illnesses including foot-and-mouth disease
and hog cholera, officials have said.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the UN health agency,
said on Thursday that if the bird flu virus spreads among humans,
the quality of the global response would determine whether it
ends up killing 5 million people or as many as 150 million.

Experts say a lack of funds is hampering the fight against
bird flu in Asian countries such as Indonesia, where a fifth
victim died on Monday.

ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea said they would work
closely with the world animal health body OIE, the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WHO.

The three agencies plan to hold a bird flu conference in
December to try to raise the $102 million they say is needed over
the next three years to contain the virus.

The money will be used to help affected countries and fund
research, training of personnel and campaigns against bird flu.

The FAO said earlier this week that its appeal in May for more
funds to halt the cycle of bird flu infections in animals had
received a lukewarm response from donors.

Health experts have warned that bird flu could set off a
pandemic if it gains the ability to be transmitted easily between
humans.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.