Thai PM vows to fight bird flu

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister has pledged to remain vigilant in the fight against bird flu and urged the public not to panic if more outbreaks are found of the disease that has killed 20 people and millions of chickens across Asia.

Thaksin Shinawatra has said he expects Thailand to be free of the virus by the end of February thanks to the country's mass slaughter of poultry and close monitoring of infected areas.

"If the disease is still present, we will keep destroying it," Mr Thaksin said. "We will make sure the country is really clean."

Bird flu has killed six people in Thailand, and is suspected of having sickened 22 others, nine of whom have died. Officials have confirmed eight cases of human infection here, including the six confirmed fatalities.

Poultry in 40 of Thailand's 76 provinces have been found to be infected with the virus, and authorities have slaughtered more than 26 million birds in an effort to control the outbreak. The government has said that all areas except one section of the capital, Bangkok, are free of the disease.

--Agencies 2004-02-16

Thaksin Shinawatra has said he expects Thailand to be free of the virus by the end of February thanks to the country's mass slaughter of poultry and close monitoring of infected areas.

I am still intrigued as to how they may even suggest that the country will be free from bird flu any time this year since

a.) WHO states that the major carriers of the disease are migratory ducks, not domestic birds.

b.) It has also been stated that non-domesticated birds have a lower propensity for dying from the disease. Since bird droppings contain the most of the virus, all these non-domesticated birds dropping their loads wherever they see fit should be fairly hard to stop.

c.) Even if they[the government/authorities] do succeed in wiping out the entire susceptible population of birds - wild and domesticated - which may carry the virus... What will happen to malaria and dengue fever when the number of mosquitoes increases tenfold?

Just some thoughts.

Bangkok declared 100% free of bird flu

BANGKOK: - The government today annouced Bangkok free from bird flu and proclaimed all Red Zone areas Yellow.

--The Nation 2004-02-13

The government has said that all areas except one section of the capital, Bangkok, are free of the disease.

--Agencies 2004-02-16

"If you compare it to an egg, we found the disease in the yolk and we will continue destroying the disease until it reaches the edge of the egg white," Mr Thaksin said. "But there might (still) be the disease in some spots of the yolk."

I can tell what is soft like an egg......

Does this bloke make sense to anyone????

Does this bloke make sense to anyone????

At least he has no hemorrhoids