The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with the Indonesian government to implement a program to monitor virus of H5N1, ANTARA quoted a FAO statement from UN News Center in New York as saying. FAO said that 31 of 33 provinces in Indonesia, one of the countries hit hardest by avian flue, had been infected since 2004 and thus more investigations and better poultry vaccines were needed to fully protect the poultry from the virus in the country. It warned that despite advances in controlling the virus, recent avian influenza outbreaks in more than one dozen countries revealed that the epidemic remained a global threat. "Globally, much progress has been achieved in keeping the H5N1 avian influenza virus under control," said Joseph Domenech, FAO`s Chief Veterinary Officer, noting that great strides have been made in the past three years. He said surveillance, early detection and immediate response efforts have been bolstered and many countries have been able to eliminate avian flu from poultry. But since last month, Indonesia and 14 other countries have confirmed new outbreaks in poultry, mostly in domestic stocks. "The H5N1 avian influenza crisis is far from over and remains particularly worrying in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt, where the virus has become deeply entrenched despite major control efforts," Domenech said. He also cautioned that while H5N1 has not become more contagious to humans, "it could still trigger a human influenza pandemic." With the help of FAO, over 50 countries have been able to bring avian flu under control and eliminate it from poultry.
