U.S. delegates to the global avian influenza conference that ended this week in Beijing, China, pledged $330 million to the fight against the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Previously, the United States pledged $270 million. During the same conference, the European Union increased its pledge from $100 million to $121 million. The conference, which included delegates from nearly 25 countries, set a pledge goal of $1.2 billion.

“It shows the [United States] is working hard to be a leader on this issue,” said Jim Adams, a World Bank vice president. “The U.S. will easily be the largest single donor.” The World Bank was one of the hosts of the meeting.

The current outbreak of the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus began in Asia in early 2003. It killed or caused the culling of millions of chickens, ducks, and other poultry in the region, devastating the economically important poultry industries in Thailand, China, and other Southeast Asia countries. The virus mutated and infected humans. So far, more than 150 people have been infected, and nearly 80 have died. Last fall, the virus was found in poultry flocks in Turkey and Eastern Europe. Health officials said migrating wild birds spread the disease. Earlier this month, four people in Turkey died from the deadly strain of avian influenza. These were the first human deaths outside of Asia. Health experts fear that the virus will further mutate and become transmissible from human to human, creating a pandemic that could kill millions of people.

The funds collected at the Beijing meeting will be used to bolster the world's anti-virus defenses, including the production and distribution of anti-viral drugs. The funds will be given – or loaned at low interest – to high-risk and developing countries to bolster surveillance systems and human health and veterinary services. The delegates at the two-day conference also stressed the need for political commitment and transparency in preventing the spread of the avian influenza virus.