December 28, 2006

Thailand stockpiles anti-bird flu drug
 

Thailand's Public Health Ministry has stockpiled 2.5 million capsules of the anti-viral medicine Oseltamivir following reports of the bird flu outbreaks in some Asian regions, permanent secretary of the ministry Prat Boonyawongvirot said.

The ministry also stockpiled 475,000 doses of influenza vaccines in view of the bird flu threat in Thailand during the winter, Prat was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying.

In Thailand, there have been 25 bird flu patients since 2003, of which 17 died of infection with the H5N1 virus.