August 4, 2004

11 More Areas Removed From Thailand's Bird Flu List

The Livestock Development Department in Thailand yesterday removed 11 areas from the country's list of zones affected by bird flu.

The department said it was confident the outbreaks of avian influenza in various provinces across the country were under control.

"We should be able to declare our country free of bird flu very soon," said the department's director-general Yukol Limlamthong.

Early last month, infections of bird flu were detected in 65 areas scattered across 23 provinces.

Yukol said yesterday that 11 areas had now been removed from the list of affected zones while about 20 more spots had detected no new infections of the disease.

In areas with new infections, he said the number of dead fowl was relatively small, with each area recording no more than 50 deaths.

Yukol said his department was tackling the outbreaks to ensure the disease would not dampen frozen chicken exports next year.

Following the spread of bird flu throughout the country early this year, poultry importers suspended shipments of poultry products from Thailand, and are now buying only heat-treated chicken from the country.