The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has approved an emergency assistance project to China for the control of bird flu, according to the China Office of the FAO.

Gamal Ahmed, the FAO's Chinese representative, said that the FAO will allocate up to 390,000 US dollars to allow two international consultants and two Chinese consultants to do field work in China. The FAO will also provide necessary equipment and training to help China combat the epidemic.

China confirmed its first bird flu outbreak in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Jan. 27 this year. So far, the country has reported 23 bird flu outbreaks, including five confirmed ones and 18 suspected ones. The spread of bird flu has been brought under control, and no case of transmission to a human being has been found so far.

"The quick actions taken by the government are appropriate, and the FAO is impressed by what the government has done so far," said Ahmed. "The FAO stands ready to assist and cooperate with China in the matter."

Ahmed said that, following the first outbreak confirmed in China, the FAO has cooperated closely with the Ministry of Agriculture. Ahmed said that the ministry has kept him updated about the epidemic situation in China.

Meanwhile, the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture have agreed to hold meetings once a week on the bird flu issue.

Ahmed also called for regional cooperation in combating the cross-boundary epidemic. "Governments should openly share data and information about their control campaigns in view of the regional dimension of the crisis," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2004)