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The second international conference on fighting the lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza held within a week opened yesterday in Beijing.

Co-hosted by the Chinese Government, the World Bank and the European Union, the International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Influenza aims to garner global financial support for programmes to control the spread of H5N1 and prepare for a possible pandemic.

At least 148 human cases of H5N1 infections have been confirmed in Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Cambodia and Turkey, resulting in 79 deaths, according to statistics from the World Health Organization.

Reported cases and deaths in Turkey suggest the danger of the virus being spread by migrating birds is real.

Experts fear the H5N1 virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between people, possibly sparking a pandemic.

At the meeting organized by the WHO in Tokyo last week, participating countries reached a consensus that joint global efforts are crucial for effective surveillance, early detection and stockpiling of antiviral medicines and other supplies in the event of a pandemic.

Since there is so much to learn about how the virus spreads and infects, and whether there are different types of the virus as well as an effective vaccine, co-operation between countries in terms of research is essential.

It takes nearly 17 days on average for suspected bird flu cases to be confirmed locally and by the WHO.

Joint global efforts are urgently needed to improve testing methods so suspected cases may be confirmed as early as possible. This will make it easier for relevant governments to make timely responses and avoid wide outbreaks.

A joint effort from different countries is also essential for assisting countries where cases have been confirmed, to improve surveillance and stockpile necessary supplies for tackling the possibility of the virus spreading widely among humans.

Rich countries have been urged at the donors' conference to come up with the US$1.2 billion the World Bank says is needed to tackle bird flu and prepare for a potential human pandemic.

An international mechanism should be established to reasonably and effectively use the money for research, surveillance, detection and stockpiling of supplies.

We are living in an era when modern transportation networks and information technology have turned the world into a global village, and economic globalization has integrated economies.

Among other things, globalization has made it easier for viruses to spread from place to place. The outbreak of SARS in many parts of the world is an example.

Avian influenza can be spread by migrating birds so a joint effort by all countries will determine the success of the fight to contain it.

(China Daily January 18, 2006)