Authorities Appeal For Calm As Bird Flu Hits

[george]

Authorities appeal for calm as bird flu hits Nakhon Pathom

NAKHON PATHOM: -- Bird flu has been discovered at three farms in the central province of Nakhon Pathom, according to local authorities.

Provincial deputy governor Tongtawee Pimsen said livestock officials had sprayed disinfectant in the affected areas and buried the dead birds in a bid to contain the disease within a 10 kilometre radius.

He said the three farms concerned were in the Muang and Nakhon Chaisri districts, and had been raising partridges and chickens.

Mr. Tongtawee said the outbreak was probably the result of the farmers importing infected birds from other provinces, or because of the changing weather with the imminent onset of the cold season.

He urged people not to panic as the disease had appeared in only a few places and poultry farmers were cooperating by monitoring their flocks closely.

--TNA 2005-10-16

[george]

Public health volunteers nationwide on alert for bird flu

BANGKOK: -- Public Health Ministry officials and health volunteers throughout the country are now on full alert for signs of bird flu, said Thai Public Health Minister Dr. Suchai Charoenratanakul on Saturday.

Speaking on preventive measures mapped out by the Ministry of Public Health against the potentially deadly avian influenza, Dr. Suchai said concerned officials in each province are now well prepared to fight against the disease while anti-virus medicines are now kept in stock at every hospital.

He said that doctors can now diagnose suspected bird flu patients having accurate results within 24 hours, and that the measures practised in Thailand are recognised worldwide.

Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director General of the ministry's Disease Control Department, said the main task for his department is to prevent the disease from spreading from animals to humans during 2005-2007 and to control influenza efficiently.

Dr. Thawat suggested that people can protect themselves from bird flu by not touching dead poultry with bare hands and by not eating chickens which died with unusual indicators.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister

Khun Ying Sudarat Keyuraphan said on Saturday that the ministry had strictly contained avian flu in areas at risk and those under observation since the beginning of the rainy season.

"The avian flu situation in the kingdom is now under well control. The disease has not spread," she confirmed.

Khun Ying Sudarat, however, asked all provincial governors to instruct local officials concerned to continue to keep a close watch on bird flu in their respective areas and report updated developments to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives every week.

She said Thailand's efficent bird flu control measures have been recognized and praised internationally, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) selecting Bangkok as its centre for bird flu control and the United States offering to cooperate with the kingdom in avian flu control, including tests for bird flu vaccines in poultry.

--TNA 2005-10-15

[ilyushin]

"The avian flu situation in the kingdom is now under well control. The disease has not spread," she confirmed.

Glad she is in-charge!

[bolognamare]

Public health volunteers nationwide on alert for bird flu 

BANGKOK: -- Public Health Ministry officials and health volunteers throughout the country are now on full alert for signs of bird flu, said Thai Public Health Minister Dr. Suchai Charoenratanakul on Saturday.

Speaking on preventive measures mapped out by the Ministry of Public Health against the potentially deadly avian influenza, Dr. Suchai said concerned officials in each province are now well prepared to fight against the disease while anti-virus medicines are now kept in stock at every hospital.

He said that doctors can now diagnose suspected bird flu patients having accurate results within 24 hours, and that the measures practised in Thailand are recognised worldwide.

Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director General of the ministry's Disease Control Department, said the main task for his department is to prevent the disease from spreading from animals to humans during  2005-2007 and to control influenza efficiently.

Dr. Thawat suggested that people can protect themselves from bird flu by not touching dead poultry with bare hands and by not eating chickens which died with unusual indicators.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister

Khun Ying Sudarat Keyuraphan said on Saturday that the ministry had strictly contained avian flu in areas at risk and those under observation since the beginning of the rainy season.

"The avian flu situation in the kingdom is now under well control. The disease has not spread," she confirmed.

Khun Ying Sudarat, however, asked all provincial governors to instruct local officials concerned to continue to keep a close watch on bird flu in their respective areas and report updated developments to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives every week.

She said Thailand's efficent bird flu control measures have been recognized and praised internationally, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) selecting Bangkok as its centre for bird flu control and the United States offering to cooperate with the kingdom in avian flu control, including tests for bird flu vaccines in poultry.

--TNA 2005-10-15

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What do thai people say about that? Do they fear to take the bird flu?

In Italy, where i live, everyone is waiting the worst, the government bought options for 30 millions flu medicines, and tv programs don't stop with this alarm.

Personally I think it's an excess, but Indonesia and surroundings seem to be the center of the flu beginning.

Is it only a big new business for big corporations and corrupted governments?

It could be interesting to listen the opinion of expats who live in LOS too?

It seems that LOS cannot become the Land Of Quiet

In any case they have to find something more to stop my summer vacation there ( )

[Galong]

Aren't all of the cases of bird flu coming from people who work in the poultry industry? They are breathing in 'fowl' air all the time. Of course they're going to get sick... the farms I've seen are absolutely filthy.

The media, as usual, wants to keep us all on the edge of our seats just waiting for the human to human transmission. I bet the folks at CNN pray every night for the human to human virus mutation to finally arrive so they can make us all as scared as possible.

Remember what the authorities said about SARS?