August 11, 2004

Thailand Bans Use Of Bird Flu Vaccine

Thailand has officially banned the use of bird flu vaccine and started crackdown on any violation, the state-run Thai News Agency (TNA) reported on Tuesday.

A regulation has been adopted to ban the import, production, sale and use of all avian influenza vaccine in the country, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan was quoted as saying.

The government took the action for the sake of public health, and anyone violating it would face up to five years' imprisonment, said the minister.

Meanwhile, the ministry also opened a hot line and offered a cash reward for those reporting the violators.

Thailand's poultry industry was hit hard by two waves of bird flu attacks starting in February and July respectively.

In the first bird flu outbreak lasting more than three months, Thailand, the world's fourth largest poultry exporter, suffered no less than US $880 million loss.

The major buyers such as Japan and the European Union have not fully lifted their ban on the kingdom's poultry imports.

EU also warned it would ban Thai chickens if the country carried on vaccine experiment.