$1.9 billion raised to fight bird flu

BEIJING — After a year of unprecedented appeals for money to cope with the Asian tsunami and the South Asia earthquake, the world dug deeper Wednesday, pledging $1.9 billion to fight bird flu and prepare for a potential pandemic.

The United States alone came up with $334 million that will largely be used to help poor countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, where the H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic. The European Union pledged another $261 million, responding with a renewed sense of urgency after the disease killed four children in Turkey.

As the two-day donors conference wrapped up in Beijing, participants were again reminded of the risk as China reported its sixth human death.

"Nobody's wishing for more tragedies or more crises, but if the world has a better ability to respond to those, I think that's a good thing," said Jim Adams, head of the World Bank's bird flu task force, who said the $1.9 billion in pledges over three years was a proactive step for the international aid community, which often responds to major disasters after they happen.

The World Bank had estimated $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion would be needed to prepare for a potential global pandemic and to fight bird flu, which has killed or forced the slaughter of an estimated 140 million domestic birds since it began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in late 2003. The virus has also jumped from poultry to people, killing at least 79 people in east Asia and Turkey.

Experts worry the virus could mutate into a form easily spread from person to person, possibly sparking a global pandemic that kills millions. So far, human cases have been traced to contact with sick birds.

David Nabarro, the U.N. coordinator on avian and human influenza, said the international outpouring of support at the conference attended by more than 100 countries showed a determination to try to avert disaster.

"What we've seen today is that the world really does care and wants to respond effectively to the threat of avian influenza and a possible human pandemic," he said, describing the response as "quite extraordinary."

About $1 billion of the money came in the form of grants, while the other $900 million will be distributed as loans — including $500 million from the World Bank.