January 25, 2005

Emergency plan prepared in Thailand for bird flu control

Thailand is preparing an emergency plan to cope with bird flu in case it becomes contagious among people, according to Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng on Monday.

The plan - worth 776 million baht (20 million USD) - will include reserves of 100,000 doses of flu vaccine and 10 million medical masks. Apart from taking precautions in public places, Thailand has been carrying out the production of vaccine and test kits.

The bird flu has killed 12 people in Thailand. Thailand has been under high alert for bird flu after detecting new outbreaks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the deadly bird flu virus could mutate into a more dangerous viral form, which could be transmitted between people and claim millions of lives.