Global plan to halt bird flu unveiled, but millions needed in funds

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — A global strategy to control the deadly bird flu virus within a decade was released by United Nations and animal health experts, who appealed for millions in donor funds to make the plan a reality.

"It's an international crisis, it has to be an international vision for awareness, surveillance and early response," said Joseph Domenech, chief veterinary officer for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

"This disease is endemic in Asia... It will not be possible to eradicate the virus from the entire region of Asia in a few months or even in a few years," he told reporters at an international conference on the disease.

With the virus already detected in other regions such as Europe, major outbreaks anywhere in the world "can happen any time because of international trade and movements of animals, people and products," he said.

The global plan, ...