Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 2, 2007

WHO Tests Bird-Flu Readiness
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=16E5156:A6F02AD83191E160BFE4FC55D606D80A9574F7DCC14957C0 Monday's drill
involved officials at the WHO's Western Pacific regional headquarters
in Manila talking by phone with counterparts in Cambodia, Singapore,
Indonesia, and Japan The World Health Organization has conducted a
test of their ability to avert a bird-flu pandemic.







An Indonesian boy walks next to duck cage at a market in Jakarta,
Sunday (File photo)Monday's drill involved officials at the WHO's
Western Pacific regional headquarters in Manila talking by phone with
counterparts in Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan. Officials
simulated the dispatch of the influenza drug Tamiflu and protective
gear, like goggles and masks, from a Japan-donated stockpile in
Singapore to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

Also Monday, Burma reported a fifth outbreak of bird flu in an area
north of Rangoon, the country's largest city. Authorities have culled
at least 40,000 fowl since the virus first appeared in late February.

A state-controlled newspaper - the New Light of Myanmar - reported
today that the sale and transport of poultry in the area caused the
virus to spread.

The WHO says the H5N1 virus has killed 170 people and infected at
least 285 since it first appeared in 2003. Scientists fear the H5N1
bird flu strain could mutate into a form that could spread easily
among humans and lead to a global pandemic with the potential to kill
millions.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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