April 12, 2004

Thailand Reports Two New Bird Flu Outbreaks
 

Thailand's hopes of declaring itself free of the bird flu virus were dashed again on Friday after fresh outbreaks were detected in two provinces, agriculture officials said.

"We have found bird flu in two provinces, Chonburi and Khon Kaen," deputy agriculture minister Newin Chidchob told reporters. "They were still a problem and the (areas) were put on surveillance, and if there are no new findings I expect we could declare ourselves bird flu free on April 27," he said.

Chonburi is southeast of Bangkok while Khon Kaen is in the heart of the country's northeast. Both had recorded outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza earlier in the year, when the country announced it was stricken by an outbreak of the disease, which eventually killed eight people. Agriculture officials detected the latest bird flu outbreaks in Chonburi on April 7 and in Khon Kaen on March 25, and both provinces were now on a mandatory 21-day monitoring period, Newin said.

Thailand slaughtered at least 36 million birds, mainly chickens, and slapped quarantine regulations on affected zones in an effort to halt the spread of the disease which hit 41 of its 76 provinces. The kingdom has reported 12 bird flu infections in humans, including eight deaths. Four other people made a full recovery. Bird flu has swept through 10 countries in Asia and also killed 16 people in Vietnam. The resurgent disease has vexed Thai authorities that for the past six weeks have been eager to declare an end to the bird flu crisis, which decimated its massive poultry industry.

"I cannot exactly said if we will be able to declare ourselves bird flu free by April, as we have to be objective," Newin said.