Hanoi, 01 March 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia  Domingo Albert today turned over several boxes of medicine representing the Filipino people’s  contribution to Vietnam’s fight against the avian flu  virus. The medicines were handed over by the Secretary  during her meeting with Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy  Nien at the Government Guest House.

Secretary Albert is in Vietnam for an official visit. She arrived last night from Ho Chi Minh City.

“These boxes of medicine represent the Philippines’  humanitarian contribution to Vietnam’s fight against  this pernicious disease. Like Vietnam, we may be a  developing country with limited resources but this  does not discourage us from helping a neighbor in need  of our assistance,” she said.

The boxes of medicine came from the Research Institute  for Tropical Medicine of the Department of Health in  Alabang and from UNILAB, a Philippine pharmaceutical  company which has a branch office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien thanked the Secretary  for the medicine, which clearly symbolized the close  partnership and cooperation of the Philippines and  Vietnam in their efforts to alleviate the impact of  the disease.

“The donation of medicines is in line with the World  Health Organization’s drive to prevent the spread of  this disease. The Philippines fully recognizes the  threat posed by the avian flu virus not only against  our respective populations, but also to our economies  and societies at large,” she added.

Despite warnings and aggressive measures taken to  arrest the disease, the avian flu epidemic has spread   through most of Asia, including South Korea, Vietnam,  Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. The  Philippines has not reported any case of the virus,  which has already claimed a number of lives in these  countries.

Secretary Albert explained that the donation of  medicine to Vietnam is also intended to help prevent  the spread of the avian flu epidemic to other  countries in the region, including the Philippines.

“It is my hope that this humanitarian gesture of the  Filipino people will contribute in its own way towards  the saving of lives in Vietnam and prevent the spread  of this disease in other countries,” she said. END.