Asian countries unite to fight bird flu

THE 10 Asian countries hit by the rapid spread of bird flu that has killed at least eight people and threatens to develop into a large-scale epidemic vowed yesterday to fight it together.

The task the countries face loomed even larger as the lethal virus struck in China the birthplace of SARS and home to a vast poultry industry.

But the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the one-day meeting in Bangkok, also attended by EU and US officials, was a good start.