UN to launch animal surveillance appeal

The United Nations will launch an appeal for at least $50m (€41.9m) to improve animal surveillance in the fight against bird flu.

The appeal was needed following the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain outside south-east Asia and would be launched later this week, said Joseph Domenech, chief veterinary officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The money was necessary to strengthen the agency’s capacity to detect the virus and the ability to provide an effective emergency response, Domenech said.

The Rome-based FAO calculated the appeal to cover response over 18 months in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Central Asia, and several regions in Africa, he said.

Last week, the agency warned of the increased risk that bird flu could spread along the pathways of migratory birds to the Middle East and African countries that are poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak, following the confirmation of cases in Romania and Turkey.

“Africa is the priority,” Domenech said.

He said the upcoming appeal was separate from a previous $175m (€146.5m) appeal by the FAO for funds to help combat bird flu over three years.

The deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has decimated bird stocks in Asia and killed at least 60 people in the region, most of them poultry farmers directly infected by birds.

The H5N1 strain is hard for humans to contract, but experts are watching its spread and development for fear it could mutate into a form that can pass between humans and trigger a pandemic.