Thai Crisis �may have increased bird flu�

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Thai crisis �may have increased bird flu�
By Shawn Donnan in Jakarta 
Published: September 17 2006 21:13 | Last updated: September 17 2006 21:13

Thailand�s continuing political crisis may have contributed to a resurgence of bird flu in the country, according to the United Nations official co-ordinating the global fight against the disease.
Both Thailand and Vietnam have been praised for their stringent efforts to fight the H5N1 virus in poultry and until July neither had reported a single human case this year, even as the virus has in the past nine months killed 37 people in nearby Indonesia.

Authorities in Thailand, however, have since July reported two human fatalities from the virus, while Vietnam last month reported its first outbreaks in poultry this year.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Dr David Nabarro, the UN�s senior co-ordinator for avian influenza, said that Vietnam�s response remained admirable. But he was concerned that the political crisis in Thailand might have weakened the country�s response.
It remained unclear, he said, how or why the H5N1 virus resurfaced in a Thai province along the Mekong River border with Laos in July and August.
But he said: �You don�t maintain control over this disease unless there is regular top-level direction from a committed senior political figure that wants to be sure that the necessary activities are being undertaken.�
Thailand has been without a fully functioning government since February, when Thaksin Shinawatra, prime minister, dissolved parliament, hoping to end the controversy over his family�s tax-free $1.9bn (�1.5bn, �1bn) sale of their 49 per cent stake in Shin Corp, the telecoms empire, to Singapore�s Temasek Holdings.
Indonesia � which has suffered more human fatalities (49) than any other country in the world, according to the WHO � appears to be making progress in its fight against the disease, although it continued to be a �major problem� in the archipelago, Dr Nabarro said.
On Friday the government told the visiting UN official it was looking to increase its contribution to the fight against bird flu next year following complaints last month from the World Bank and international donors that it was reducing its bird flu budget in 2007.
Dr Nabarro said he hoped that would draw increased commitments from international donors for Jakarta, which is now facing a $100m-plus shortfall for next year on the $250m experts say it needs annually to mount an effective fight against H5N1.
Additional reporting by Amy Kazmin in Hanoi

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FLA102052 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group LOCATION: FLORIDA Joined: January 04 2007 Status: Offline Points: 100	Post Options Post Reply Quote FLA102052 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Thai Crisis �may have increased bird flu� Posted: January 15 2007 at 6:56am
	Thai crisis �may have increased bird flu� By Shawn Donnan in Jakarta Published: September 17 2006 21:13 \| Last updated: September 17 2006 21:13 Thailand�s continuing political crisis may have contributed to a resurgence of bird flu in the country, according to the United Nations official co-ordinating the global fight against the disease. Both Thailand and Vietnam have been praised for their stringent efforts to fight the H5N1 virus in poultry and until July neither had reported a single human case this year, even as the virus has in the past nine months killed 37 people in nearby Indonesia. Authorities in Thailand, however, have since July reported two human fatalities from the virus, while Vietnam last month reported its first outbreaks in poultry this year. In an interview with the Financial Times, Dr David Nabarro, the UN�s senior co-ordinator for avian influenza, said that Vietnam�s response remained admirable. But he was concerned that the political crisis in Thailand might have weakened the country�s response. It remained unclear, he said, how or why the H5N1 virus resurfaced in a Thai province along the Mekong River border with Laos in July and August. But he said: �You don�t maintain control over this disease unless there is regular top-level direction from a committed senior political figure that wants to be sure that the necessary activities are being undertaken.� Thailand has been without a fully functioning government since February, when Thaksin Shinawatra, prime minister, dissolved parliament, hoping to end the controversy over his family�s tax-free $1.9bn (�1.5bn, �1bn) sale of their 49 per cent stake in Shin Corp, the telecoms empire, to Singapore�s Temasek Holdings. Indonesia � which has suffered more human fatalities (49) than any other country in the world, according to the WHO � appears to be making progress in its fight against the disease, although it continued to be a �major problem� in the archipelago, Dr Nabarro said. On Friday the government told the visiting UN official it was looking to increase its contribution to the fight against bird flu next year following complaints last month from the World Bank and international donors that it was reducing its bird flu budget in 2007. Dr Nabarro said he hoped that would draw increased commitments from international donors for Jakarta, which is now facing a $100m-plus shortfall for next year on the $250m experts say it needs annually to mount an effective fight against H5N1. Additional reporting by Amy Kazmin in Hanoi