March 22, 2004

World Health Agencies Urge Caution In Asian Bird Flu Free Declaration

Two international groups urged Asian countries to base their bird flu free declarations on solid investigations as the bird flu crisis is not over yet.

The Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in a joint statement that they were willing to send experts to evaluate the problem.

"In countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, further outbreaks could still flare up," the groups said. "The virus could spread again within and between countries."

The avian flu swept through several Asian countries in recent months, killing 23 people in Thailand and Vietnam and devastating poultry farms.

Thailand declared itself free of the virus early last week but was forced to backtrack days later when officials announced new cases in chickens in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

In Vietnam, where the flu peaked in mid-February, officials plan to announce that the country is free of the disease at the end of the month if no new outbreaks are reported.

The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has been warning affected countries not to restock flocks too quickly to avoid new flare-ups.