The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed an accord with Cote d'Ivoire on providing technological assistance to the impoverished African country to prevent and curb the spread of the lethal bird flu, local media reported Saturday.

Under the agreement signed on Friday, FAO will help Cote d'Ivoire build a complete quarantine system, improve its capacity of diagnosing and monitoring bird flu, provide materials for poultry farmers to learn about the danger of the epidemic and help set up a monitoring network on migratory birds.

The new accord is part of an emergency plan launched last November by FAO to help West Africa prevent and curb the spread of bird flu. Under the plan, FAO will provide 400,000 U.S. dollars worth of technological assistance to 12 African countries.

Cote d'Ivoire Minister of Livestocks and Marine Resources Alphonse Douaty said Friday that though no bird flu cases had been reported in the country, West Africa, the main habitat for migratory birds, still faced a tough task as the fatal virus had been found in Niger.

FAO also expressed growing concerns Friday that bird flu could spread beyond Niger to other West African nations, and proposed incentives for formers to report possible outbreaks early.

Source: Xinhua