Several Asian and European countries, including Afghanistan,
Myanmar, Malaysia and Denmark, confirmed on Thursday the presence
of deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in their countries.
On the same day, a UN official who is in charge of bird flu
affairs, called on the international community to step up
surveillance and monitoring of the disease.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the United Nations and the
Afghan Agriculture Ministry said that they confirmed the H5N1
strain of bird flu in six samples from Kabul, capital of
Afghanistan, and the eastern city of Jalalabad.
The statement also stressed that "thus far in Afghanistan, avian
influenza remains confined to the bird population, with no human
cases reported."
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday
that the test results had confirmed that the H5N1 virus was found
by Myanmar in dead chickens several days ago in the central town of
Mandalay.
Local media reported that Myanmar had carried out preventative
measures, slaughtered more than 10,000 chickens and quarantined
over 40 farms near Mandalay.
Malaysian Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Thursday
that Malaysia announced a new outbreak of the H5N1 strain in an
eco-park and a village in the northern state of Perak.
He said that Malaysia had adopted emergency measures to control
the spread of the disease.
The Danish government also issued a statement on Thursday that
the preliminary test results confirmed Denmark's detection of its
first case of this deadly variant in a wild buzzard found dead on
the island of Zealand.
After meeting with the European Union officials in Brussels,
David Nabarro, a senior UN coordinator for bird flu, told reporters
that the international community should watch out for a global
spread of the disease. Nabarro urged increased investment to
enhance the bird flu prevention and control efforts.
Nabarro's call came as various affected countries are taking
urgent measures to fight the devastating bird flu.
India began on Thursday to cull thousands of chickens in bird
flu-hit Jalgaon region in the western state of Maharashtra to
contain the spread of the disease.
Nigeria is stepping up surveillance and monitoring of the
epidemic and upgrading the capacity of relevant laboratory
facilities, Information Minister Frank Nweke said on Thursday, as
poultry farmers estimated a loss of US$100 million in revenue
inflicted the deadly virus.
Georgia ordered the immediate slaughter of poultry in affected
areas after the virus was found in the blood of swans found dead
near the village of Adlia in the Khelvachauri district of the Black
Sea coastal region of Adjara on Feb. 24.
In Europe, the Netherlands started vaccinating poultry against
bird flu until the end of June, the agriculture ministry said,
following a similar program in France.
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced it was raising
its annual production of Tamiflu, the anti-flu drug, to help head
off a potential pandemic.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain has killed about 100 people in
seven countries since 2003. Scientists fear the virus might cause a
global pandemic if it mutates and becomes easily transmissible
between humans.
(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2006)
