Jackie Chan stars in TV ad urging children to beware of bird flu

[Guest guest]

Jackie Chan stars in TV ad urging children to beware of bird flu Tue

Aug 15, 1:29 PM ET

BANGKOK (AFP) - Hong Kong film actor and martial arts star Jackie

Chan is lending his action-hero status to the fight against bird flu,

appearing in an advert urging children to stay away from dead birds.

The enemy in his latest screen outing is the deadly H5N1 virus which

has killed 139 people worldwide, mostly in Asia.

Chan, who is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations children's

fund UNICEF, appears alongside six children from different countries

and some colorful origami birds.

In the advert produced by UNICEF, the World Health

Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, he urges the

youngsters to stay away from dead or sick birds, warning them that

bird flu can be transmitted to humans.

He then reassures an eight-year-old girl that playing with paper

birds is fine.

" It was great to work with this group of children on something that

concerns Asia and the entire world, " Chan said in a statement.

" This is not about creating alarm but helping children to be more

alert and careful. When it comes to bird flu, we don't want to take

any chances with our kids. "

A UNICEF spokeswoman told AFP that Chan was chosen for the campaign

because he is known to both children and adults worldwide.

" He is a role model and he combines a sense of seriousness and a

sense of play for children, " the spokeswoman said, adding that she

hoped the advert would be picked up by TV stations across Asia.

Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have all reported fresh outbreaks of the

deadly H5N1 strain in the past month. In Thailand, a 16-year-old died

from bird flu after handling a dead fighting cock.

The current avian flu outbreak began in Asia in late 2003. Health

experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form that is

transmitted more easily between humans, marking the first stage of a

global flu pandemic that could kill millions.

http://news./s/afp/20060815/hl_afp/healthfluthailand_06081517

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