July 27, 2004

Thai Government Assures Transparency On Bird Flu Control Measures

Thai Government assured that the re-emergence of avian flu since early this month, which has stricken 18 provinces across the country so far, is not serious, and that its information disclosure system on the disease is transparent.

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang was quoted Tuesday as saying that the situation of the disease in its second outbreak has been clearly different from that of the first outbreak earlier this year.

"In the second outbreak, only 204,566 fowls have been culled since July 3. In the first outbreak, up to 60 million fowls were destroyed," he pointed out.

"Among poultry in 107 suspected locations of 31 provinces which have been culled, only the dead fowls in 47 locations of 18 provinces were confirmed to have contracted avian flu," he said.

The government is waiting for laboratory confirmations on the other 55 locations in 20 provinces.

Chaturon said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had ordered agencies concerned to follow the government's "food safety" policy to ensure that people in both the domestic and overseas markets consume safe cooked Thai chicken.