February 1, 2007

Thailand confirms new H5N1 bird flu outbreak in chickens

A fresh outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in poultry in central Thailand, the livestock department said Thursday.

The outbreak was confirmed by laboratory tests after the deaths of a half-dozen chickens in a village in Ang Thong province on Friday, said Nirand Uaebumrungsut, a veterinarian with the agriculture ministry's Department of Livestock Development.

It was the second outbreak in just over a week, after authorities reported Jan 23 that bird flu had been detected in hens in north-eastern Thailand.