World ill-prepared to fight bird flu pandemic, warns WHO

Vietnam warned that bird flu is spreading even faster this year than in last year’s disastrous Asian outbreak, while Thailand approved an emergency budget today to fight the disease amid concern that the world is ill-prepared for an overdue pandemic.

A top health official in Vietnam said the communist country is preparing to combat bird flu over the long haul as the virus shows signs of increased momentum. Nine people have died in Vietnam from the H5N1 bird flu strain since December 30 – compared to 20 for the rest of last year.