BIRD FLU SPREADING RAPIDLY ACROSS AFRICA

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is warning African nations against the rapid spread of the avian flu.

The FAO issued a statement explaining, "it is spreading in Africa where it is likely to become endemic in several countries."

"In the majority of cases, wherever the highly pathogenous influenza flu appeared, the global community and the countries concerned succeeded in circumventing it."

However, the FAO says that without decisive action, the deadly virus will spread across Africa.

The FAO urges leaders to take up "culling, compensation of farmers and the control of animal movements," explaining that such measures "form difficulties for the implementation of appropriate measures to fight it in Africa. To all these problems should be added the illegal trade of poultry."

"The risk will persist as long as this trade is not rigorously controlled by more dynamic veterinary services and, in any case, not before the improvement of surveillance, response to alerts, diagnosis and the transmission of field reports."