Jackie Chan fighting against ? bird flu

[Snowy Owl]

Jackie Chan fighting against … bird flu

http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/15-08-2006/83955-bird_flu-0

Chan talks to six young children in a new public service announcement about the dangers of bird flu, the U.N. Children's Fund said Tuesday.

While playing with colorful origami birds with the six children, Chan tells them that birds can pass on avian flu to people, so it's important to stay away from sick and dead birds, especially chickens.

<!-- TEXT BLOCK 2 --> He then adds that "playing with paper birds is fine," UNICEF said in a statement.

<!-- TEXT BLOCK 3 --> The children in the one-minute video, ranging in age from 6 to 9, came from various countries and were filmed in Hong Kong with Chan in May.


<!-- TEXT BLOCK 4 --> The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus re-emerged in Southeast Asia in 2003 and has spread to Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.


<!-- TEXT BLOCK 5 --> More than 200 million fowl have been killed by the virus or slaughtered to control its spread, the statement said.


<!-- TEXT BLOCK 6 --> At least 238 people have been sickened by the virus, including at least 139 who died, mostly in Asia, according to the World Health Organization. Most had contact with sick birds, the AP reports.


<!-- TEXT BLOCK 7 --> The public service announcement was produced by UNICEF, WHO and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and was funded by the Japanese government.
​

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Jackie Chan fighting against ? bird flu

Bangkok, Thailand - Action star Jackie Chan is starring in a new video to help protect children and families from another deadly villain - bird flu.

Chan talks to six young children in a new public service announcement about the dangers of bird flu, the United Nations Children's Fund said on Tuesday.

While playing with colourful origami birds with the six children, Chan tells them that birds can pass on avian flu to people, so it's important to stay away from sick and dead birds, especially chickens.

He then adds that "playing with paper birds is fine", Unicef said in a statement.

The children in the one-minute video, ranging in age from six to nine, came from various countries and were filmed in Hong Kong with Chan in May.

The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus re-emerged in Asia in 2003 and has spread to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

More than 200-million fowl have been killed by the virus or slaughtered to control the spread of the disease, the statement said.

At least 238 people have been sickened by the virus, including at least 139 who died, mostly in Asia, according to the World Health Organisation. Most had contact with sick birds.

The public service announcement was produced by Unicef, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, and was funded by the Japanese government.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=117&art_id=qw1155675961734B251

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Jackie Chan fighting against ? bird flu

Jackie Chan Hired by UN to Warn of Bird Flu Danger (Update2) Aug. 16
(Bloomberg) -- Jackie Chan, martial arts star of movies such as ``Rush Hour'' and ``Rush Hour 2,'' was hired by the United Nations to lead a television campaign to be broadcast globally that highlights the dangers of bird flu.
Chan, 52, who broke into Hollywood with ``Rumble in the Bronx'' in 1995, appears in a 1-minute public service announcement that explains the risk to children of contracting avian influenza from sick or dead birds, the UN said today in a statement. Chan's presentation is produced by the UN Children's Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, with funding from the government of Japan.
``This is not about creating alarm but helping children be more alert and careful,'' Chan said in a UN statement. ``When it comes to bird flu, we don't want to take any chances with our kids.''
The UN agencies are leading a campaign to help stem the spread of the H5N1 avian flu strain, which has infected 238 people, killing 139 of them since 2003, mostly in Asia. It may kill millions should it start spreading easily among people.
Human H5N1 fatalities have almost tripled this year as the virus spread in wild birds and domestic poultry to at least 38 countries. Almost all cases have been linked to close contact with sick or dead birds, such as children playing with them or adults butchering them, according to the WHO.
The television announcement ``aims to harness the influence and popularity of Jackie Chan to reach the maximum number of households and will be broadcast as widely as possible,'' the agencies said in their statement.
Goodwill Ambassador
Chan, a Unicef goodwill ambassador, filmed the announcement at Sha Tin Junior School in his native Hong Kong. The city's Star TV will start broadcasting it today on its network in English with Chinese subtitles. In other Asian countries, the announcement will be broadcast in the dominant languages, said Tani Ruiz, a communication officer with Unicef in Bangkok.
``It was great to work with this group of children on something that concerns Asia and the entire world,'' Chan said.
Since 2003, H5N1 has infected birds in more than 50 countries. In Asia, where it first appeared, more than 220 million fowl have been culled as a consequence of outbreaks, the FAO said this month in a report.
More than 200,000 poultry were culled to stem the spread of an outbreak reported on a duck farm in Changsha city in the central Chinese province of Hunan, China's Ministry of Agriculture said on its Web site.
The outbreak, the first in China since July 14 and the 38th reported among poultry nationwide since October last year, began earlier this month, the ministry said.
China has reported 21 human H5N1 cases, 14 of them fatal. The most recent death occurred last month in the western region of Xinjiang. The fatality was confirmed by China's Ministry of Health on Aug. 14.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aEsapmiQrTog