World Bank clears $13M for Palestinian Authority

[Guest guest]

World Bank clears $13M to fight bird flu By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP

Economics Writer 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The World Bank has approved a $13 million grant to help

combat the threat of the deadly bird flu in the West Bank and Gaza,

the development institution announced Friday. The money will be used

to help minimize any threats of the bird flu posed to people from the

area's domestic poultry industry, it said.

The money " will assist the Palestinian Authority to improve their

readiness and protect the citizens from a potentially devastating

threat as the migration season is around the corner, " said Arif

Zulfiqar, head of the World Bank's department's that handles grant

applications.

The World Bank said that in April the bird flu virus was confirmed

across eight locations in Gaza.

" The proximity of outbreaks in neighboring countries, coupled with a

large volume of bird migrations, increases the probability of a

spread of the virus among domestic poultry and thus places the West

Bank and Gaza at high risk, " the development bank said.

The virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 144 people

worldwide since it started ravaging poultry stocks in Asia three

years ago, according to the World Health Organization.

Most of the human deaths from bird flu have been linked to close

contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate

into a form easily spread from person to person and spark a worldwide

pandemic.

Of the $13 million being provided in Friday's announcement, $3

million is coming from the World Bank's Avian and Human Influenza

Facility, a multidonor financing mechanism set up earlier this year,

while the remaining $10 million is coming from the World Bank's own

resources.

On the Net:

World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

http://news./s/ap/20060922/ap_on_he_me/world_bank_bird_flu_1