A global strategy to control the deadly bird flu virus within a decade was released today by United Nations and animal health experts who appealed for millions in donor funds to make it a reality.

"It's an international crisis, it has to be an international vision for awareness, surveillance and early response," said Joseph Domenech, chief veterinary officer for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

"This disease is endemic in Asia... It will not be possible to eradicate the virus from the entire region of Asia in a few months or even in a few years," he told reporters at an international conference on the disease.

With the virus already detected in other regions such as Europe, major outbreaks anywhere in the world "can happen any time because of international trade and movements of animals, people and products," he said.

The global plan, written by the FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, calls for US$102 million to fight the disease in animals over the next three years.

It is now being circulated among donor countries who called for more details on disease-control strategies when they were first approached for funding in February, Domenech said.

While the FAO official said affected countries and donor nations are "very, very committed" to fighting the virus and governments were becoming more proactive, additional funds were needed to meet the US$102 million goal.

"We know that we may reach by the end of the year half of the amount which is needed. It means it's a lot more than six months ago, but it's still not enough so we still continue to advocate to get more funds for the Asian countries."

More research called

The global strategy calls for an initial focus on Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia, and for the measures to be rolled out to the rest of Asia as well as Africa, America and Europe by October.

"We are already discussing with other regions of the world to see how we can expand that to have this international worldwide vision," Domenech said.

Among the recommendations, it calls for more research into the H5N1 virus, and better surveillance of animals so that outbreaks of the disease can be detected and prevented as early as possible.

It also calls for transparency in the way poultry producers and governments report information about the virus and for the appropriate use of all methods to combat the disease such as vaccinations, culling and diagnostic tests.

Widespread animal vaccination programs - controversial because of their enormous cost and the potential to create immunity - will also have to be one of the weapons in the scientists' arsenal, Domenech said.

"In some countries heavily infected there is no way to get rid of the disease with pure stamping out methods and vaccination must be used," he said.

The three-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur is being held as the number of deaths from bird flu continues to rise, raising concerns that the virus may mutate to a form easily transmitted between humans, and possibly spark a flu pandemic.

A total of 55 people have died from bird flu in Asia, including 39 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and four in Cambodia, since the outbreak began in 2003.