Bird Flu Outbreak In Thailand

[Jai Dee]

Trat Deputy Governor leads team to collect bird swabs for Ministry of Public Health

Deputy Governor of Trat province Somsak Yanokphan (สมศักดิ์ โยนกพันธ์ ) accompanied by Livestock officer of Trat, Rangsawan Rawangsamrong (รังสรรค์ ระวังสำโรง) and other authorities have traveled through the province to collect swabs of bird fecal matter to be sent for examination. The province has a large amount of wild birds perched along Sukhumvit road.

The action has been prompted by the Minisry of Public Health’s urgings to be pro-active against the spread of bird flu which showed signs of resurgence after appearing in Nakhon Sawan and Phichit provinces. Officials in Trat province are especially paying attention to wild birds that may transmit the disease to farm birds.

Authorities have also employed the help of volunteers to setup monitoring stations and pro-active watch teams against avian influenza.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 February 2008

[kmart]

Back then with Thaksin in the driver seat we had this honorable news item:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32784

Wow, he ate fried chicken... whoopteedoo. That proves absolutely nothing. He must think that everyone is as dumb/guillible as the people who voted for him.

He is usually proved right in this respect.

[sriracha john]

Close Monitoring of Bird Flu in Provinces

Authorities are closely monitoring the bird flu situation. Farm chicken transfers are being restricted and local chicken farms are being closely inspected.

Livestock authorities in many provinces are closely monitoring the bird flu situation. Surat Thani *a new province added to the ever-growing list of suspicious provinces* Livestock authorities reveal that local residents in the community close to Pumduang canal in tambon Yanyao and tambon Kapao have found the carcasses of 100 chickens in a canal. The carcasses generated a bad odor in the area and villagers fear that the carcasses are bird-flu infected animals.

Surat Thani Livestock Chief Attaporn Thepaya reveals a team of livestock authorities was sent to inspect the case and collect samples from the carcasses to perform tests. The results should be known with in a week.

He says the cause of the death may be due to the drastically hot climate as revealed by chicken farm owner Anek Srisawad, who confirmed that his farm workers dumped the animal carcass into the canal. Anek adds that drastic changes in weather can cause chickens to suffer from tension and reach an unhealthy condition.

However the Provincial Livestock Office has ordered the farm closed. The farm's permit will be withdrawn for three years. To this point, Surat Thani reports no discoveries of bird flu infections.

Meanwhile, Nakhon Ratchasima animal quarantine station authorities at the Friendship Highway in Ban Subwai Village in Pakchong District say the station is providing disinfectant to protect against bird flu for every car carrying livestock into the province.

The head of the Nakhon Ratchasima Quarantine Station, Prawes Suksaengpanomrung, states that the unit is closely monitoring the situation following reports from the livestock units in Pichit and Nakhon Sawan provinces on avian influenza dispersion.

At the same time, Udon Thani Deputy Governor Kongekwirach Rujiwattanapong gave anti-avian influenza disinfectants to district livestock authorities. The disinfectants are to be allocated to 20 districts in the province.

A ceremony to make merit for the chickens that were culled was hosted and joined by the authority team. The Kalasin public health authority supervising infectious diseases, Doctor Somyod Srijaranai says that none of the 21 people quarantined at the hospital after having contact with dead chickens have been found to be infected with bird flu.

The doctor says the 21 people will remain under close watch for symptoms.

In the meantime, Pichit Deputy Governor Suwit Watcharotayangkura calls for a meeting with livestock authorities along with quarantine station inspectors and representatives from 96 bird farms in the province to discuss the situation the discovery of bird flu infection in Sarklek District earlier. So far, more than 4,000 birds have been culled since the fight against bird flu was launched.

- Thailand Outlook

[BigSnake]

Beware all. Be safe, be careful, stay away from birds.

[sriracha john]

As the list of suspicious provinces grows, so does the list of confirmed provinces also grow...

Tests confirm bird flu in Phichit

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed as the cause of deaths of fowl in Phichit province in the North, a senior expert said on Friday. Tests confirmed the outbreak in Phichit, which killed about 30 village chickens last week, according to Livestock Development Department chief Sakchai Sriboonsue. "Laboratory tests showed the chickens had the H5N1 virus. It was the second case this year. We have already ordered the slaughter of chickens in the area," he told the media. The first outbreak of 2008 was confirmed last week in neighbouring Nakhon Sawan province, where more than 4,000 chickens died, forcing the culling of 10,000 more birds.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=125643

Edited February 1, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

and now... the list of suspicious provinces grows even further...

Huge number of suspicious bird deaths

In addition to confirmed bird-flu infections in Nakhon Sawan and Phichit, authorities have also detected suspicious deaths of huge numbers of birds in 11 other provinces this year.

These provinces include Nan, Udon Thani, Lampang, Sakon Nakhon, Phitsanulok, Surin, Nong Bua Lamphu, Chiang Rai, Lop Buri, Phetchabun and Si Sa Ket.

In Lop Buri's Khok Samrong district alone, more than 3,000 chickens died at one farm last month. "We are closely monitoring the situation," said Chatri Banchuin of the Medical Services Department yesterday.

Chatri said his department would hold a workshop today in Sukhothai to train health workers how to prevent and treat bird flu. Health workers from nine provinces are due to attend. "There will be a similar workshop in Bangkok on February 11," he said.

In Lop Buri, the Khok Samrong livestock chief Wirach Chinbut said officials had already sent samples of dead chickens, and swab specimens from live chickens from the farm where suspicious deaths of fowl were detected by laboratory tests. "We have banned any movement or transportation of chickens pending the test results," he said.

Wirach said the farm owner claimed the mortality rate at his chicken farm was higher than normal because of ventilation problems. "He said the ventilators had taken turns breaking down," Wirach said. "But we have to implement preventative measures first. We have the duty to curtail the spread of bird flu, if it breaks out."

He said 24 workers from the farm had already undergone a check-up but they showed no sign of bird-flu symptoms.

"We also checked chickens in the farm's neighbourhood and found they were all healthy," Wirach said, adding that officials would now spread disinfectant at chicken farms regularly to pre-empt the spread of bird flu.

- The Nation

[sriracha john]

Officials set for bird flu 'disaster' drill

Officials have given the green light for plans to conduct an emergency drill for the bird flu virus. Plans to conduct the emergency drill was proposed by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department following the discovery of the H5N1 virus in Thailand since 2003. Dr Supamitr Chunasuthiwat, a senior executive at the disease control department under the public health ministry, has given the go-ahead for the first such drill. "Since the time the virus first appeared in Thailand, it has continued to emerge up to this very day so it is vital that we raise public awareness about the virus," he said. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department conducted similar emergency drills after the tsunami struck the southern coasts of Thailand in 2004. "What we really need to be

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=125694

[Jai Dee]

Fears of bird flu outbreak

PHATTHALUNG :A number of free-range ducks have died during the past week in this southern province, triggering fears of an outbreak of bird flu, which has now hit the central provinces.

Pairote Intharasri, a local livestock development official, said the ducks had possibly died of the H5N3 virus, which is a less powerful strain than the H5N1 virus.

More from the Bangkok Post here.

[Jai Dee]

Thailand to closely monitor bird flu for another 3 months

Thailand's Public Health Ministry said on Sunday that it was necessary to closely monitor the bird flu situation in the next few months as there was possible risk of an outbreak.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Phaijit Varachit was quoted by the Thai News agency as saying that the ministry needed to closely monitor the bird flu situation in Thailand because there were still poultry and human cases of the avian flu in other countries.

He added the cold weather in many parts of the world was prompting wild birds to migrate to Thailand.

He has instructed public health officials to work closely with husbandry officials and other local officials to prevent bird flu from further spreading among poultry and humans in Thailand.

Phaijit said more than 800,000 public health volunteers across the country were visiting villagers at their houses to track any possible bird flu infection and prevent an outbreak. He urged people to abstain from slaughtering sick chickens for consumption, particularly during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Commenting on 31 people under 14 day surveillance after coming into direct contact with poultry in Thailand's Nakhon Sawan and Phichit provinces where avian flu was detected in chickens, Phaijit said none had tested positive for bird flu.

Source: Xinhua - 04 February 2008

[Jai Dee]

Pichit province declares February bird flu watch month

Governor of Pichit province Doctor Preecha Ruangchan (ปรีชา เรืองจันทร์) revealed that the discovery of the H5N1 virus in Sak Lek (สากเหล็ก) district has been confirmed and the area has been deemed a red zone for 21 days. All fowls in the district are restricted from any transport and termination has begun in a 5 kilometer radius from the original discovery.

Road blocks have been erected and physicians have been deployed to test residents of the area. Nonetheless, no new cases of infection or death have been reported for almost 10 days. The province has deemed this month as the bird flu watch month and asked that all poultry farmers strictly cage their animals.

The department of livestock will also spray anti-viral chemicals in 888 villages. The province is most concerned over the hundreds of thousands of wild birds that roam freely from other provinces. Many of the birds are nationally protected and are hard to contain or test for infection.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 04 February 2008

[sriracha john]

Strict Measures on Avian Flu in Provinces

Officers in Pichit Province are watching closely for signs of bird flu, especially among the hundreds of thousands of wild open-bill storks in the province. Pichit Governor, Preecha Ruengchan disclosed that due to the H5N1 virus being found at Tapikul Village in Samlek district, the area has been declared a red zone.

Measures have been imposed to prohibit poultry transportation to and from the area for 21 days, while poultry within a five-kilometer vicinity of the area must be culled.

Meanwhile, 19 patients with flu-like symptoms in the area are now being closely monitored by doctors for fear that it may be a human infection of the bird flu. He added that the recent situation has improved as there have been no further suspicious deaths among fowl and the villagers in the vicinity have not fallen sick.

Furthermore, February has been declared the bird flu prevention month as poultry is being culled and disinfectant sprayed in 888 districts throughout the month.

Hundreds of thousands of open-bill storks at the Chai Boworn Forest Park are being monitored and the area is being sprayed continually with disinfectant.

Meanwhile, Pitsanulok provincial police have questioned the owner of fighting cocks and local chickens who transported chickens to Lopburi by passing prohibited areas in Pichit and Nakhon Sawan. He denied the charge, claiming he was unaware of the measure against the transportation of poultry.

Moreover, on Khun Han Street in Pitsanulok Municipality, villagers reported that a chicken carcass was found. The chicken had nasal congestion and both its head and eyes were swelling. The carcass was disposed of by livestock officers.

- Thailand Outlook

[sriracha john]

Bird-flu fear rises during Chinese New Year

The Public Health Ministry has issued a warning over undercooked food during the Chinese New Year festival for fear of contracting the bird-flu virus.

Meanwhile, a foul smell fills the air for over a kilometre around Nakhonchai Bovorn Park in Phichit's Pho Thale district, as thousands of open-bill storks have been found dead there. Authorities are wary of a bird flu outbreak.

Tambon Tha Sao Administration Organisation chief, Niyom Sakdee, said yesterday several thousand open-bill storks had died at the park from a mysterious cause since mid January.

Phichit Governor Preecha Reungchan and livestock officials have collected samples for lab tests and sprayed the area with disinfectant.

He said the test results had not yet been announced and many residents were becoming fearful that it might come from a bird flu outbreak and that the virus could spread to humans.

His office had bought disinfectants and spray devices for the park to use on a regular basis, while the dead birds were being burnt.

During the Chinese New Year festival, Thai-Chinese pay respect to their ancestors by making food offerings. During the ceremonies it is common for people to offer soft-boiled chicken or duck to their ancestors. At the end of the proceedings the offerings are then consumed.

To reduce the risk of contracting the H5N1 virus infection Dr Paijit Warachit, the health ministry's deputy permanent secretary, advises people to avoid eating undercooked food, particularly chicken, duck and half-cooked fried and soft-boiled eggs.

Members of the public are also advised to wash eggs well before putting them in the refrigerator because the virus, which lives in the chicken's dung, could thrive in the low temperature.

Paijit further advises members of the public to buy eggs which are labelled and guaranteed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation.

"To prevent virus infection, members of public should select fresh chickens that have a white and yellow colour without any bruised spots. Most importantly the chickens should be well cooked before being eaten," he said.

- The Nation

[Tony Clifton]

To prevent virus infection, members of public should select fresh chickens that have a white and yellow colour without any bruised spots.

While mimicking someone with his elbows propped up on a table and head resting on his fists, my granfather, a butcher, used to say that chickens with yellow elbows have been waiting for quite a while for someone to buy them.