The United States governmrnt said it has mapped out additional $38 mllion, about N4.8 billion to support the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) programme for the control and prevention of avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu.

With the new funding, U.S. support to the FAO avian influenza programme has reached a total of about $63 million, as the U.S. government has in the past donated about $25 million to FAO to fight bird flu.

FAO is currently assisting more than 100 countries in their efforts to prevent and control avian influenza.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a letter to FAO that the contribution will be earmarked for core Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza containment and control activities, including in-country surveillance and early warning, efforts to reduce disease transmission, and communication to increase public awareness and preparedness.

"Avian influenza will probably stay with us for several years to come. The support from the United States will enable FAO to continue and strengthen avian influenza prevention and control campaigns in affected countries," said FAO's chief veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech.

"Our latest contribution reaffirms the confidence we place in FAO to contain and control Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at its animal source. Lending support to countries through FAO remains a key element in managing the global risk," said Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez of the U.S. Mission to FAO.

"This new contribution from USAID is a welcome expression of trust in FAO's global leadership in the fight against avian influenza," said Anne M. Bauer, director of FAO's Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division.

The new money will go into ongoing and new surveillance and response, planning, training, logistics, technical, laboratory, and communication projects and activities in Western, Eastern and Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, the Indian sub-continent, Central Asia, Central/Eastern Europe, Indonesia and Egypt.