Bird Flu Deteted In Roi-et Province

[george]

Bird Flu Detected in New Thai Province

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Bird flu has been detected in a previously unaffected Thai province and has resurfaced in eight other provinces that were under observation, officials said Monday.

The virus, which has killed six people in Thailand, was found in some ducks in the northeastern Roi Et province, Deputy Agriculture (website - news) Minister Newin Chidchob said.

It was likely spread by a fighting cock, Dr. Nirundorn Auangtrakulsuk, director of Disease Control Division at the Department of the Livestock, told The Associated Press.

"We've found that one fighting cock had contracted the disease and later learned that its owner in fact smuggled it out of the controlled area to avoid culling," he said.

In addition to Roi Et, eight other provinces - Uttaradit, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pang-nga, Chaiyaphum, Sukhothai and Phetchburi - were upgraded to red zones from yellow zones, he said.

Bird Flu Detected in New Thai Province

Red zones indicate an active outbreak of the disease and will require culling to control it. Besides, 32 of Thailand's 76 provinces are designated as yellow zones, meaning they will remain under observation for 21 days, a time period that has not been approved by any international health organization. Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra 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 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," Thaksin said. "We will make sure the country is really clean."

Authorities have slaughtered more than 30 million birds since Jan. 27. The government has said that all areas except one section of the capital, Bangkok, are free of the disease.

"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," Thaksin said. "But there might (still) be the disease in some spots of the yolk."

Thaksin earlier insisted the government could handle the bird flu outbreak, telling members of parliament that officials monitoring the disease were basing their decisions on scientific data.

On Saturday, a 13-year-old boy, Ekkaphan Pongkhan, became the country's latest bird flu fatality, after his family's chickens started dying mysteriously, a ministry statement said.

Also on Saturday, a 1-year-old girl from northeastern Kalasin province became Thailand's latest suspected case. Chickens belonging to the girl's family fell ill and died a week before she became sick with a fever and cough.

Ten Asian governments are fighting bird flu. Asian authorities have slaughtered more than 80 million chickens and ducks in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, which is known to have jumped to people only in Thailand and Vietnam.

Last week, Thai authorities said a clouded leopard died from the disease on Jan. 27 possibly after eating raw chicken meat at Dusit Zoo south of Bangkok. The World Health Organization has not confirmed if the cat died from bird flu.

--Agencies 2004-02-16

[plachon]

Bird Flu Detected in New Thai Province

"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," Thaksin said. "But there might (still) be the disease in some spots of the yolk."

Thaksin earlier insisted the government could handle the bird flu outbreak, telling members of parliament that officials monitoring the disease were basing their decisions on scientific data.

Comparing the bird flu disease to an infected yolk of an egg, while to the consumer the shell and white looks OK, is hardly a very comforting simile to get consumers eating eggs and chickens, is it? Think he's gone and stepped in the dog doo again!

Reminds me of the old Thai proverb of being beware of the beautiful-skinned mango, which has maggots and rot eating away at its core, unbeknown to the consumer til he/she takes a big bite, which could be a good warning against a lot of things...................

[issan2]

They are coming to our village (near Suwannapum, Roi Et ) today to kill all of the chickens and fighting cocks. Weve been told that our caged Budgies will have to be culled as well which the wife is not happy about it. I tried to explain to her that our son is more important than a few birds.

It seems all the Thai guys are whisking their fighting cocks off to the farms to avoid the cull. So I dont think that bird flu is going to go away quickly ....

[pnustedt]

So I dont think that bird flu is going to go away quickly .... 

The prognosis that I was reading over the weekend is that it would be two years before the main markets for Thai chicken would start importing again.

[plachon]

They are coming to our village (near Suwannapum, Roi Et ) today to kill all of the chickens and fighting cocks. Weve been told that our caged Budgies will have to be culled as well which the wife is not happy about it. I tried to explain to her that our son is more important than a few birds.

It seems all the Thai guys are whisking their fighting cocks off to the farms to avoid the cull. So I dont think that bird flu is going to go away quickly ....

Hmmmmm..............deep fried budgie in batter on a stick? Sounds tempting. Call us if they drop round for the birds and I'll bring a bottle of lao kao.

My advice mate, seriously is to take the budgies out to the fields and hide them for a few days. The cull is a waste of time, unless every feathered friend - wild, tame and farmed is killed - as it's too late in the epidemic now to contain by cullling. like human flu, resistance is going to be building up in the surviving popn., and it's those survisors whose genes need to be saved for future breeding stock. Toxin won't like it, cos his buddies chickens in CP farms have s.f.a. resistance to disease, unlike the farmer's gai baan. Do your wife a favour and save their lives.

[francois]

It seems all the Thai guys are whisking their fighting cocks off to the farms to avoid the cull. So I dont think that bird flu is going to go away quickly ....

might be that the people coming for get rid of all these birds don't warn the people from the villages, it's a pity that such things happen ...

risking lives for a fighting cock ... wasn't it a thread? how much cost a life downhere?

francois

[plachon]

It seems all the Thai guys are whisking their fighting cocks off to the farms to avoid the cull. So I dont think that bird flu is going to go away quickly ....

might be that the people coming for get rid of all these birds don't warn the people from the villages, it's a pity that such things happen ...

risking lives for a fighting cock ... wasn't it a thread? how much cost a life downhere?

francois

Afraid you just don't get it Francois. These villagers are being smart and rational, the govt. is being a dolt. The cull IS A WASTE OF TIME. period. It's too late - see above post. It's only partial, selective and will miss the real carriers and threats. If it had started in November, when the flu was first detected, and had been carried out without favouritism, then it might have had a chance of containing this disease. If wild birds are carriers now, it's too late for any effective cull. So better for the villagers to save their strong, resistant stock from the grips of officials who have no idea what they're doing - just following orders from above. These villagers know the compensation is a joke, if they seee any of it at all, and are doing the country a favour by saving their birds, not putting lives at risk. It's Toxin who's done that, by helping out his buddies at CP, etc., put export money and share value first and lied through his teeth from day 1 on this. Apart from telling people to eat KFCack and doling out free eggs, what true public service and health advice has he given the country?

[plachon]

There, what I tell you Francois - this disease is now confirmed in cats and a leopard in the zoo and even possibly, cows. It's too darn late for culling, unless you propose cullling all domestic and wild animals in Thailand too! (mind you, wouldn't put this one past the GL). Working on a vaccine, while building up resistance in the remaining birds (cheapest, easiest and most sensible option) is the only way round this that won't cause irrersible harm to the society, economy and environment. If Thailand has to stop exporting poultry for the next couple fo years then so be it. That is a cheaper price to pay than the alternatives, but might hurt the pockets of a few multi-billionaires for a while. Follow the King's sound advice - "por yuu, por kin" (enough to eat and live) and "kaset por piang" (sustainable agriculture) and Thailand could get out of the mess it's in today.