millions of people could be wiped out , page-9

Wednesday, February 23, 2005. 5:00pm (AEDT)
Bird flu conference opens in Vietnam
Bird flu experts are gathering in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City for an international conference aimed at eradicating the deadly virus.

Delegations from more than 20 countries and organisations, including major donors and United Nations (UN) agencies, are evaluating their understanding of the H5N1 virus and will decide on long-term measures to get rid of it.

Since late 2003, several outbreaks of bird flu have killed 33 people in Vietnam and another 12 in Thailand.

Tens of millions of poultry have been slaughtered across Asia in a bid to eliminate the virus, which has spread from animals to humans.

Scientists have long warned that further outbreaks of the disease are inevitable in the region unless animal husbandry practices are changed.

In Western and industrialised countries, animals are kept in farms away from the public.

But in less developed parts of the world, livestock often live in backyards, resulting in far greater interaction with people.

An official at Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture says the separation of humans and poultry is key to successfully eradicating bird flu.