Multilingual bird flu-fighting materials prepared in Taiwan -- including posters, optical discs and brochures -- will be distributed around the world to help keep the infectious disease at bay, government health sources said yesterday.
The literature in 10 languages -- traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Kiswahili (an official language in many African countries) and Urdu (Pakistan's official language) -- were prepared by Taiwan International Health Action (Taiwan IHA) in cooperation with the International Center for Migration and Health (ICMH), officials from the Department of Health (DOH) 's Bureau of International Cooperation said.
Taiwan IHA is a nonprofit organization established by government agencies, including the DOH and several public health and interest groups, devoted to cross-border medical care efforts.
The ICMH is an international NGO and a WHO collaborating center for health-related issues among people displaced by conflict and disaster. The Geneva-based ICMH is also a UN Population Fund implementing partner on reproductive health issues in situations of crisis.
The bird flu literature is to be distributed by Taiwan IHA to countries where bird flu is reported, DOH officials said.
It has already been sent to Burkina Faso, where the H5N1 strain of bird flu has reportedly broken out in at least three rural townships.
The literature will also be distributed at major international conferences on health and medical issues, DOH officials said.
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