March 30, 2004

Thailand Announce New Bird Flu Measures

Thai authorities have announced a new wave of bird flu measures aimed at curbing the spread of the disease and restoring consumer confidence in the country.

With the country's poultry trade set to resume on a mass scale, the Livestock Department implemented measures to control the movement of chickens.

Livestock Department director-general Yukol Limlaemthong said yesterday that the department recently issued an announcement designating Thailand as a suspected bird-flu epidemic zone.

The announcement has been circulated to all provincial governors, advising them to limit the movement of chickens in their jurisdiction.

After four months of the epidemic, farmers have sought permission to resume raising chickens. Yukol said it would not be possible to raise large numbers of chickens at many farms at the same time as some areas are still under surveillance, even though they have met the 21-day period required by the International Office of Epizootics (OIE). The department said it needed to further monitor the areas for three months, at the request of chicken importers.

"It is very risky to allow chicken farms to operate, because each chicken has not been tested for the virus. We have to make sure all areas are free from bird flu," Yukol said.