UN agency unable to raise funds to fight bird flu in West Africa

(Bloomberg) — The United Nations says it hasn’t been able to raise funds to combat an outbreak of bird flu in West Africa even as it fears the disease may become endemic.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been trying to raise $20 million to stop the outbreak, which has spread to five countries in the region, Eran Raizman, head of the FAO’s emergency prevention system for animal health, said in a phone interview from Rome on Thursday.

“It’s a relatively small amount to address an immense situation,” Raizman said. “We are in a good moment to stop the disease as it’s not established as endemic in any country. We fear we are getting close to it in some countries.”