Fuente: © World Bank
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US Official: UN Crisis Center For Bird Flu To Be Launched Within A Month

/noticias.info/ “A UN crisis management center to coordinate international efforts against the spread of bird flu will be opened within a month, a top official with the US Agriculture Department said Monday,” reports The Associated Press.

“The center at the Rome-base Food and Agriculture Organization will dispatch response teams to countries where bird flu is detected in animals and will channel aid, experts and equipment to areas where they are most needed, said Ron DeHaven, administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The department, together with the US.Agency for International Development, has allocated $4.2 million to help get the center going. The Americans were urging other countries to pitch in, DeHaven said after talks with UN officials and government representatives from around the globe.

“It will take eight months for the center to be fully operational, employing 40-50 people and with a projected 3-year budget of $28 million, DeHaven said. Creating the management center is a key step in combating bird flu in animals and is the best way to reduce the risk of the deadly H5N1 strain mutating into a form capable of causing a human flu pandemic, he said. …

“FAO's crisis center will keep a list of world experts on animal health, dispatching them to breakout areas to help local officials decide what measures to take, such as culling or vaccination of poultry. Financial aid for the fight against the virus is expected to come from the $1.9 billion pledged at a Beijing donors conference in January. …”

In related news, Reuters writes that “Southeast Asian countries agreed to a bird flu action plan presented by Thailand on Monday aimed at helping its poorer neighbors combat the deadly virus. Officials from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to start implementing the measures, such as surveillance of poultry, next month. ‘It is hoped the immediate action plan will send a strong signal to the world community that (these) countries are ready to assume their share of responsibility in ... fighting the disease,’ Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn, the Thai Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary-general, told reporters after the meeting in Bangkok.

“The officials agreed on information sharing programs and to send experts to one pilot country to conduct on-site training for a surveillance and rapid response team, Krit said. ‘What we need to do is to translate what has been discussed and achieved on paper into a concrete plan,’ Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon told the meeting earlier. …”

In related news, Agence France Presse notes that “Authorities in Ivory Coast said Monday that bird flu was confined to the country's economic capital, Abidjan, after the deadly H5N1 form of the disease was discovered there nearly two weeks ago. ‘As of today, there are no cases in the interior of the country, where the situation is under control,’ said Denis Kouakou, national director of veterinary services and head of the national committee for the fight against bird flu.

“Ivory Coast on Sunday began the slaughter of all poultry sold in the economic capital's markets after discovering the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Marcory and Treichville, two working-class neighbourhoods. The slaughter is due to continue over several days. ‘The health ministry is ensuring a follow-up on all people who have been in contact with places where suspicious cases have been reported,’ Kouakou said. …” notas_de_prensa_archivo