Teams of govt vets monitor for avian flu

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has resumed its nationwide campaign to randomly test birds for the deadly avian influenza virus (H5N1), to ensure Thailand is free from further outbreaks.

Over 300 barn swallows were collected from Silom by a veterinarian team from the department.

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In checking the birds' health to detect H5N1 virus, they also collected bird saliva and dropping samples, to be sent for lab tests at the National Institute of Animal Health and Kasetsart University.

The lab results should be known next week, deputy director of the department Teerapat Prayoonsit said, while leading the team of 100 veterinarians to catch birds in Silom.

To date, his department has found no spread of the virus among birds in Silom since the department started a campaign to detect H5N1 back in 1991.

The number of barn swallows in Silom was around 500,000 two years ago, but has dropped to 3,000-5,000 birds as local agencies have cut trees and removed electricity posts. Teerapat said 40 mobile teams of 800 veterinarians were monitoring for a possible bird-flu outbreak nationwide.

"We are collecting samples from birds in Samut Prakan, Trang, and Krabi and we will do the same in other areas later," he said.

Thailand has reported 25 confirmed cases of human infection and 17 deaths since 2004. But over the past nine years there have been no reports of human infection or deaths.

-- The Nation 2013-02-06

Great - let's cut down more trees in this concrete jungle. Thankful birds can relocate on wings. The stupidity of humanity on a virus easily controlled and isolated.

Barn swallows can eat 850 mosquitoes a day. Do the numbers. Consumption went from 425 million to 4.25 million a day.

And they worry about dengue fever.

The number of barn swallows in Silom was around 500,000 two years ago, but has dropped to 3,000-5,000 birds as local agencies have cut trees and removed electricity posts.

All those missing swallows have just gone into hiding in Patpong, I've come upon a few myself.

Edited February 6, 201313 yr by Payboy

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Permanent Secretary for Public Health Narong Sahamethapat today announced a nation-wide bird flu alert after eight people have died of bird flu in Cambodia over the past several weeks.

Cambodia's health ministry said that of their nine confirmed cases, eight of them have died so far.

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Public Health Ministry on high alert against possible avian flu spread from Cambodia

BANGKOK, 6 March 2013 (NNT) – The Public Health Ministry is on high alert against the possible spread of avian flu into the country, after a number of people have been reportedly killed by H5N1 virus in neighboring Cambodia.

Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Narong Sahametapat said that Thailand is now on alert to prevent the outbreak of avian flu even though the country has not found a single patient during the past 7 years.

Dr. Narong’s comment was made after the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there have been 7 bird-flu patients in Cambodia, 2 in China and 1 in Egypt, during January 1 and February 15, 2013. Out of this, 7, including 6 in Cambodia, died.

The Permanent Secretary for Public Health stated that the H5N1 outbreak in the neighboring country has put Thailand on high alert and the ministry has already instructed all related provincial health offices, particularly in Sa Kaeo Province, which borders Cambodia, to watch out for any possible spread of the virus.

He added the alert is applied to both poultry and human while related provincial livestock offices were ordered to be ready to control the spread of the avian flu, if the virus is ever found.

In addition, all hospitals under the ministry have been advised to stock up Oseltamivir, an anti-viral drug and to conduct thorough diagnosis on patients suspected to have contracted the virus.

The Public Health Ministry also warned the public to only consume completely-cooked poultry and eggs, to never include sick poultry in any cooking, and to report any suspected case of avian influenza to the nearest livestock or public health offices as soon as possible.

-- NNT 2103-03-06