EU, Roche increase bird flu commitment
BEIJING -- The European Union and drug maker Roche sharply increased their commitment to combatting bird flu Tuesday at an international donors conference that has taken on a new sense of urgency after the first deaths from the virus were recorded outside Asia. The EU pledged about $121 million, $20 million more than it initially announced last week to combat bird flu and the risk of a potential pandemic. The increase came after Turkey recently announced a fourth child had died from the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. Most of those who died had been in close contact with infected birds, but health officials fear the virus could mutate into a form easily transmissible among humans. The World Bank has estimated up to $1.5 billion will be needed
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