World health organization to send H5N1 bird flu samples from China, worldwide
The World Health Organization told reporters that a new batch of Chinese avian flu virus samples are to be delivered to select laboratories all over the world.
The batch will consist of 20 samples, 15 more then delivered throughout all of 2004.
Julie Hall, coordinator of communicable disease surveillance and response at the WHO Beijing office, stated that regular sharing of information among all countries, the global health body and other international organizations is an effective weapon to fight the bird flu.
Because there have been regular outbreaks among poultry as well as human infections in China, samples, laboratory results and knowledge of field practices would be useful for the rest of the world, she added.
The batches will contain only virus samples from bird flu outbreaks in poultry, as was the case in 2004.
Sources for bird flu story:
http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/811/2006/03/24/167@66057.htm