Bush pledges to help Indonesia with AI

While visiting Indonesia, US President George W Bush pledged to help the country fight avian influenza.

Indonesia has the world's highest death toll from bird flu, at 56.

Bush was in Indonesia for seven hours, following the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Hanoi. Bush reportedly commented that any pandemic in Southeast Asia posed a direct threat to Americans.

"If there is an influenza outbreak in Vietnam, it could affect Indonesia and the people of America. Therefore we need to work in a collaborative way to deal with this great threat," Bush said.

"We continue to form partnerships on this issue," Bush told reporters at joint press briefing with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In a joint statement, Indonesia and the US reported that they has also agreed to accelerate negotiations to extend research work of the US Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) number two facilities in Indonesia.

NAMRU laboratories have been assisting Indonesia's health ministries in confirming suspected avian flu cases in the country over the past two years.

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Editor WorldPoultry