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10 million dollars offered by China to fight avian flu
Jan 19, 2006, 15:23, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena
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"The Chinese government will continue to provide assistance within our capacity to neighbouring countries and those needed"
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By IANS,
China Wednesday offered $10 million to fight avian influenza after experts said over $1 billion was required to fight the deadly virus and prepare countries if a pandemic strain emerged.
"The Chinese government will continue to provide assistance within our capacity to neighbouring countries and those needed," Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday, opening a two-day International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza.
He called on developed countries, international bodies and transnational companies to make greater contribution to raise funds to fight against bird flu.
"We expect countries to actively donate and support ... a financial framework on multilateral assistance on bird flu control during the on-going conference." Wen said.
He urged the international community to make full use of the advantages of various regional and sub-regional mechanisms, and draw out specific measures for bird flu prevention and control,
Bird flu experts said here Tuesday that the world urgently needed to amass a war chest of up to $1.4 billion to fight the deadly virus.
The H5N1 virus is already endemic across parts of Asia where millions of birds have been culled. It has also been found in wild birds and poultry in a third of Turkey, bordering Europe.
H5N1 has infected nearly 150 people in six countries, killing more than half its victims. Bird flu has killed at least 79 people since 2003.
Nearly 700 delegates representing more than 100 countries are attending the conference in a bid to pool financial resources to curb the spread of bird flu. 
- Indo-Asian News Service
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