By Robin Pomeroy ROME, March 15 (Reuters) - Detection of bird flu has improved greatly over the last three years, but three countries -- Egypt, Nigeria and, especially, Indonesia -- still do not have sufficient controls in place, a United Nations expert said. The chief veterinary officer at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) urged Indonesia to step up surveillance and control systems to prevent a possible pandemic in a country where the virus has already killed 63 people. "In Indonesia we have the same problem that we had in Thailand, Vietnam and China and others three years ago -- a lot of outbreaks, a lot of the virus in the environment, human cases," Joseph Domenech told Reuters in an interview. "It means a possible occurrence of the virus which could lead to a pandemic." In Egypt, where there have been 13 reported human deaths from H5N1, the risk is "statistically" smaller than Indonesia because the population is smaller, but the problem of human proximity with poultry and a lack of controls means the situation is similar, Domenech said. Nigeria, which reported its first human bird flu death in January, is considered less of a risk, but also needs to improve its controls, he added. Domenech said that outbreaks in poultry elsewhere in the world, some 15 countries in the last six months, should not be seen as evidence that the surveillance and control systems recommended by FAO were not working. "If you take all these countries, the warning (system) is good, the capacity of government services to respond is good. "When you compare to what happened one, two, three years ago, the delays between the introduction of the virus then reporting and response, it's been so much improved." Domenech said Vietnam, which has reported 42 human deaths from H5N1, had made great strides in controlling the virus in birds. It lifted a ban on owning ducks which was being flouted and instead established an effective vaccination programme, he said. Domenech said H5N1 should be seen as a "permanent" problem, but one that can be controlled with the right procedures. "The virus will be introduced into countries, it's a permanent risk." Since 2003, H5N1 has spread to more than 50 countries as far apart as China and Britain. The real fear is that the virus could mutate into a form that people can easily pass from one to another and spark a pandemic. So far it has infected 278 people and killed 168 of them, according to the World Health Organisation. Domenech said the advances in controlling the virus should put a stop to poultry import bans from countries where the virus has not been shown to be present, and to consumer fears. "We have had human cases only through contact with sick animals ... compare that with the millions and millions of people who have been in contact with the virus. "The public should be aware that there's not risk today to get the virus through eating the food."
