December 13, 2004

Thailand, Hong Kong Cooperate to Fight Bird Flu

Thailand and Hong Kong have agreed that their cooperation in the fight against bird flu must continue until the deadly virus is completely wiped out.

Speaking after returning from Hong Kong, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaiseang said that he met with experts and officials of the Chinese Special Administrative Region.

Chaturon, who chairs the Thai Bird Flu Control Committee, said Hong Kong used to be one of the hardest hit areas, and is now able to control the disease.

Hong Kong is different from Thailand in that it is applying vaccinations to every chicken and duck. However Thailand is still studying whether to use the vaccines or not, he added.

Chaturon said the Bird Flu Control Committee is planning to make visits to China and Viet Nam, both of which experienced the same problem, and have made much progress in their solutions to fight the virus.