Abbas Abbasov: "$16 million is needed to fight Bird flu in Azerbaijan"

As APA reports, the money will be spent on purchasing disinfecting substances and laboratory equipment, as well as other facilities. "But what we need now is not money but facilities," - said Abbas Abbasov, Deputy Prime Minister who leads the state commission for Bird flu.

Mr. Abbasov underlined that the government did its best to fight the problem. An investigation is being conducted to study the deadly H5N1 strain that was found in migratory birds in Azerbaijan.

The Deputy PM also said that the Asian Development Bank decided to allocate a total of $ 250 thousand to Azerbaijan to fight the virus. In addition, the government jointly with the World Bank has launched work on the project which will cost $5 million.

Mr. Abbasov intends to discuss the issue with the World Bank representative. The US Embassy in Azerbaijan and UNICEF have made some proposals to implement precautions against Bird flu.

Mr. Abbasov added that the government has not suffered any damage related to Bird flu. It's not known whether any compensation will be paid to people who have to cull out their poultry.