HANOI, Jan. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Representatives of three international organizations in Hanoi have sent a letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, warning of the potentially great danger of H5N1 and its impacts, local newspaper Youth reported Friday.

    If H5N1, one of the world's deadliest viruses, could infect and be transmitted among people, it would spread rapidly worldwide, said the letter sent by the representatives of the World Heath Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Office International des Epizcoties (OIE).

    "Its global spread would be expected to result in several tens of thousands of deaths in Vietnam and several millions of deaths worldwide. The social, economic and health impact would be much greater than SARS," said the letter.

    The organizations also requested the Vietnamese government to encourage governmental officials to work closely with the experts from WHO, FAO, and OIE on all investigative and control activities.

    WHO has sent 137 sets of preventive clothes to Vietnam, while FAO said it will finance a project worth 400,000 dollars for disease prevention.

    Some other international organizations have also pledged to give assistance to the country. The European Commission has sent its expert to Vietnam, while the Asian Development Bank has pledged 50,000 US dollars worth of equipment. Enditem