Japan reports third bird flu case

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3519213.stm

 

Last Updated: Sunday, 29 February, 2004, 01:38 GMT

 

Japan reports third bird flu case

 

The agriculture ministry in Japan has confirmed a

third case of the bird flu virus at a farm in Kyoto.

Officials said more than 60,000 chickens have died at

the farm in the past week.

 

The governor of Kyoto said despite the number of

deaths, the farmer had not informed police and had

gone on sending birds to a processing plant.

 

Ten Asian countries have so far been affected by bird

flu, with at least 22 people killed in Vietnam and

Thailand.

 

Japan had hoped to declare itself free of the virus,

after gong almost a month without any new cases, since

the first outbreak in mid-January.

 

But it has now suffered two more outbreaks, and there

is a fourth suspected case under investigation in

central Nagano province.

 

Animal experts meeting in Bangkok to discuss combating

the disease said it would cost the minimum of $500m to

stamp bird flu out in Asia and restock the region's

poultry flock.

 

At the end of a three-day meeting, the head of the

UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) said most

of that amount will have to be shouldered by the

nations battling the disease.

 

" The largest amounts are obviously required at the

country level where culling operations are going on

and compensation has to be paid and restocking has to

be made. That is where hundreds of millions of dollars

will be required, " said Samuel Jutzi, head of animal

health at the FAO.

 

Concerted effort

 

World animal health experts and officials from 23

Asia-Pacific countries, as well as international aid

donors at the meeting agreed to increase efforts in

fighting the disease and quicker steps in combating

outbreaks.

 

Although previous bird flu outbreaks in Europe and the

United States took six months to be wiped out, in Asia

it is proving difficult despite massive culling.

 

Animal health officials expect it will take at least a

year, or perhaps longer before Asia is free of the

disease.

 

" If there is no change in the intensity of the

campaign and there is no international mobilisation to

help the countries, it will take several years, " said

the head of the FAO's Animal Health Service, Joseph

Domenech.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get better spam protection with Mail.

http://antispam./tools