United Nations agencies warned Asian countries on Friday to be cautious about declaring victory over the deadly outbreak of avian flu across the continent, saying it was still not under control.
"The crisis is still not over," warned the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in a joint statement.
Vietnam, where 15 people have died from the disease, says it has "basically" brought the epidemic under control and will officially declare that it has been eradicated on March 30.
The agencies said the situation had "improved" in Vietnam, as well as in China and Thailand, where eight people have died.
And they said further outbreaks could still flare up in countries like Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
"The virus could spread again within and between countries. As long as the H5N1 virus is not fully under control, the potential threat to human health remains." According to OIE international standards, countries can claim to be free from avian influenza under certain conditions and, in any case six months after the occurrence of the last outbreak.
The organisations called for further investigation into how the epidemic started. "To avoid future outbreaks, we need a clear understanding of how the disease began." To date, at least 100 million birds have died or have been culled to control the disease.
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