GAZA, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian Minister of Public Health Zuhni Al-Waheidi said on Sunday that the Palestinian territories are clear of bird flue.

    Al-Waheidi told a press conference in Gaza City that no case of bird flu is reported in the Palestinian territories till the moment.

    He said the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) attended in Cairo, Egypt, a conference on bird flu in the Mideast region,discussing ways to combat the virulent virus.

    Al-Waheidi said the PNA was also assured at another health conference held in Cyprus that help will be offered to the Palestinians on researches on bird flu.

    He said his ministry has drawn up plans, in coordination with the Agriculture Ministry, to prepare medicine for a possible outbreak of the disease.

    A budget of over 3 million US dollars was also allocated by the cabinet for his ministry to deal with the disease, he added.

    However, there were still difficulties ahead since most Palestinian hospitals were under-funded, which also suffered from a lack of experienced doctors and nurses, the minister said,adding that the ongoing Israeli military measures also made it difficult to transfer patients to hospitals abroad. Enditem