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Asia-Pacific steps up preparedness efforts against bird flu

Asia-Pacific steps up preparedness efforts against bird flu KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - China's financial hub Shanghai on Monday started screening international passengers for bird flu amid global fears that the virus could mutate into a more powerful form. Acknowledging that separation from Asia by thousands of kilometres of sea offers little protection, Australia and New Zealand also took steps to ward off a bird flu disaster. At least 68 people have died from bird flu since it emerged in Asia in 2003 - nearly two-thirds of them in Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization. So far, most human cases

Lack of aid weakening bird flu control in Asia

Lack of aid weakening bird flu control in Asia Weak disease-surveillance and inadequate aid are thwarting efforts to control bird flu in Asia, according to a senior official of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The organisations assistant director-general, He Changchui, was speaking at a press conference following a meeting of health and agriculture ministers from 11 Asian nations in Delhi, India last week (27-28 July). He said international aid was a third of what was needed to combat the epidemic in the region. In a joint declaration, the meetings delegates pledged to strengthen systems for detecting and containing bird flu outbreaks in people

Bird flu not expected to curtail Asia travel

Bird flu not expected to curtail Asia travel Despite fresh bird flu outbreaks among poultry and new human deaths, tourists are traveling en masse across Asia during the region's peak travel season ahead of Chinese New Year. "According to the figures from hotels, they've never known such a high occupancy rate," said Olivier Colomes, general director of Exotissimo Travel Group in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the country hardest-hit by avian influenza. "We were really scared about this because everybody was talking about the bird flu as if it would happen tomorrow, but so far nothing has happened." The Christmas, New Year

First bird flu deaths outside Asia

First bird flu deaths outside Asia A teenage brother and sister who died of bird flu were infected with the H5N1 strain of the virus, said the UN's health agency. It confirmed the first human fatalities from the deadly strain outside east Asia. A laboratory in Britain had detected H5N1 in samples from the 14-year-old boy and his 15-year-old sister, said World Health Organisation spokeswoman Maria Cheng. Tests have yet to be completed on samples from their 11-year-old sister, who died of suspected bird flu on Friday. Their doctor said they probably contracted the illness by playing with dead chickens. Cheng said the spread of

FAO estimates Asia-Pacific bird flu losses at $10 million

FAO estimates Asia-Pacific bird flu losses at $10 million The Asia-Pacific region has suffered losses of around $10 million due to the bird flu pandemic, Food and Agriculture Organisations regional representative for Asia Pacific He Changchui said on Friday. He said over 200 million birds have been culled over two-and-a-half years due to the flu. All countries need to put in place vigilant surveillance and a timely action plan to prepare against further outbreaks, Changchui told reporters on the sidelines of regional conference on avian influenza control and pandemic preparedness in Asia. He said all countries in the region need