Cambodia launches $11 mln project to fight bird flu

PHNOM PENH, The Cambodia government here on Tuesday launched an emergency project of 11 million U.S. dollars for avian and human influenza control and preparedness.

"We have to prevent bird flu and educate our people about it regularly before it break out and kill people and poultry," said Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is also the chairman of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).

We should not say we were successful in preventing bird flu after we only culled large amounts of sick poultry, he said.

Fortunately, we have good cooperation with the neighboring countries, who exchange information with us to prevent avian influenza outbreak, he told the launching ceremony.

"We have to join together to prevent deadly diseases which could ruin the social order and affect the economic development," he said, adding that effective prevention will help reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

According to NCDM, the project will be funded by the International Development Association (IDA) with 6 million U.S. dollars, the Japanese government with 3 million U.S. dollars and the European Union with 2 million U.S. dollars.

Details of the project have not been publicized yet.

Since 2003, 28,428 poultry were culled during the anti-bird flu campaign in Cambodia and seven people died of the disease so far.