Lack of transparency hamper bird flu fight

Lack of transparency hamper bird flu fight

Helen Luk, Associated Press/Hong Kong

Inadequate transparency and limited resources have hampered Southeast Asia's battle against bird flu, a senior ASEAN official said on Tuesday.

Southeast Asian countries agreed in September to launch a three-year plan next year to combat bird flu, which has ravaged poultry populations in the region since 2003 and killed dozens of people, mostly in Vietnam and Thailand.

They hope the plan, which includes setting up a disease surveillance system, can help halt the disease before it turns into a catastrophic global pandemic with the potential to kill millions of people.

In a speech to the business community in Hong Kong, Ong Keng Yong, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said information-sharing about the disease must improve.

"The important thing is transparency, and this is where some of our member countries are still learning. They are always very concerned about creating panic in their society, so sometimes the information about an episode or a bird flu outbreak would take some time to reach other parts of the country," Ong said.

"We have to insist on quick information and as much details as possible, so that we can actually identify the kind of problems that cause such an outbreak," he said.

Some governments' lack of funds to compensate poultry farmers for their losses in case of an outbreak also hinders the fight against bird flu, Ong said.

Farmers whose livelihoods depend on poultry are often very reluctant to report bird flu to the authorities, he said. They often hide sick chickens or slaughter them without proper protection, helping the virus spread.

"That causes a lot of inconsistencies in our management of the problem," he said. "What we are hoping for is that we work with transparency with all the experts and as soon as there is a problem, we try to contain it in the particular location."

He said ASEAN, which has pledged US$2 million to establish an animal health trust fund, is trying to rally for more funds to help member countries.

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