Nations Pledge Nearly $2B for Bird Flu (AP)


<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060118/ap_on_he_me/bird_flu_donors"><img src="http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20060118/capt.tok20501181014.china_bird_flu_tok205.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=i7js4lE3AuE7n3Dlkw54hA--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Markos Kyprianou, right, EU health commissioner, poses for press photographers with James Adams, left, vice president of the World Bank, Du Qinglin, second from left, and Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. coordinator on avian and human influenza, at the conclusion of the International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza, in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. The two-day conference raised US$1.9 billion (euro 1.56 billion) in financial pledges for fighting a potential bird flu. (AP Photo/Michael Reynolds, POOL)" border="0" /></a>AP - Alarmed by the spread of bird flu beyond East Asia, nations pledged nearly $2 billion Wednesday to fight the disease, far exceeding expectations at the fundraising conference in Beijing. The United States alone promised $334 million.</p><br clear=all>