January 22, 2004

Laos Bans Chicken Imports From Thailand And Vietnam On Bird Flu Fears

Laos has banned imports of poultry products from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam because of concerns about the spread of bird flu, which has wreaked havoc at chicken farms in much of Asia, state media reported.

The Laos Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry issued the ban "to prevent the disease from spreading into Laos and to protect our poultry from becoming infected," the Vientiane Times said Monday.

It wasn't immediately known when the ban was introduced.

"Ministry staff, immigration officers and local authorities along the border checkpoints must examine all goods strictly," the English-language daily said. "Local poultry farmers who find any case of the virus have to inform officials immediately."

The report said that if a doctor verifies a case of bird flu, "poultry in the area must be destroyed."

The Vientiane Times said chicken farms in Thailand had been infected with the disease, but Thai officials have strenuously denied any local outbreak. They say birds in Thailand have died from poultry cholera or other infections caused by rapid weather changes.

In a separate report, the newspaper said about 400 chickens had died from poultry cholera at a farm near Vientiane since Jan. 15. A doctor from Laos' National Animal Health Center said the deaths weren't caused by bird flu, the report said.

The bird flu outbreak has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens in Vietnam, South Korea and Japan. Five people have died from the disease in Vietnam.