Avian

The United Nations agricultural agency today issued a new warning that bird flu viruses are on the rise again in China and urged neighbouring countries to be extra vigilant head of the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities.

Nepalese authorities have begun slaughtering thousands of poultry and disposing of their carcasses in response to an outbreak of bird flu in the south-eastern region of the country, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

Although some countries are facing continuing and significant outbreaks of bird flu, the situation in the rest of the world is improving because of major efforts by governments around the world, the United Nations System Influenza Coordinator said today.

Despite advances in controlling the virus, recent avian influenza outbreaks in more than one dozen countries reveal that it is still a global threat, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

Despite significant advances to deal with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu in the past two years, countries must maintain their vigilance and cooperate in the face of a possible pandemic, according to a joint United Nations and World Bank report.

The production of a vaccine against 'bird flu'- a new outbreak which so far has caused a number of deaths but is not spreading among people - could take several months, a senior United Nations health official said today.

The United Nations health agency has begun trying to rapidly develop a vaccine against avian influenza - sometimes known as "bird flu" - after an outbreak that has claimed five lives in Hanoi, Viet Nam, in recent weeks.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expressed serious concern today about the spread of avian flu in East Asia, where the outbreak, also known as “bird flu,” could affect the livelihood of thousands of farmers relying on chicken production.