The World Bank approves a loan of up to 30 million euro for Romania to boost bird flu control operations and prepare for a possible human pandemic. The loan comes as authorities in Bucharest believe a new bird flu outbreak is possible in the country due to the existence of large bird habitats on its territory, such as the Danube Delta, and the low bio-security of domestic fowl.
It is believed the spread of the H5N1 virus among domestic fowl in Romania would seriously affect the agriculture and the economy of the country in general and would seriously increase the risk of human infection.
The World Bank loan comes in support of a 37.5 million euro project which is part of Romania’s national programme to increase its preparation to combat the bird flu.
The World Bank has provided loans totaling 5 billion USD to Romania so far.
