Southeast Asia: Bird flu comes back

After a period of lull, H5N1 bird flu has reappeared in Southeast Asia with complicated developments. Continued outbreaks of new outbreaks in Thailand and Laos.

Thailand: 2 outbreaks, Laos: 1

Areas with avian influenza in Thailand and Laos (Photo: TP) In Thailand, only two outbreaks of bird flu have occurred in the last two weeks. The first outbreak appeared in Phichit province (northern Thailand), killing a 17-year-old young man on July 24, forcing the government to destroy hundreds of poultry.

After this outbreak, 131 suspected cases of avian influenza are awaiting test results, including 37 cases concentrated in Phichit province, the rest are in neighboring provinces of Sukhothai, Phitsanulok and central Suphanburi province.

By the end of last week, there was another outbreak in Nakhon Phanom province, 740km northeast of Bangkok, bordering Laos, causing more than 2,000 birds to die. To prevent the spread of the disease, on July 30, the Thai government had to destroy 310,000 chickens at 8 farms in Nakhon Phanom.

765 people who have been exposed to poultry in the province are being monitored for two weeks. Two of them had flu symptoms and were given Oseltamivir, a drug used to treat patients infected with H5N1.

Thai Deputy Minister of Agriculture Charal Trinwuthipong said that the origin of the second nest in Thailand lies in infected poultry and eggs transported from the 'opposite side', referring to neighboring Laos.

It is no coincidence that Mr. Trinwuthipong made such a statement, because on July 28, Laos confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on a chicken farm in Xaythany district, 25km south of Vientiane capital. Nakhon Phanom 300km northwest.

In this outbreak, more than 2,500 poultry died of disease and 3,500 were destroyed. However, the epidemic has not been controlled. By 1-8, Xaythany district discovered two new bird flu drives at two farms.

Hit the occasion quickly spread

Experts say that August is the beginning of the cold season, enabling the bird flu virus to spread faster. The Director General of the Thai Department of Animal Health Yukol Limlam said that this is the period where "the risk of spreading the H5N1 virus is highest in Thailand " in Thailand, because flooding occurs throughout the country, making poultry health weak and easy. infection.

On July 31, Thai Agriculture Minister Sudarat Jeyuraphan declared bird flu alarm nationwide, placing all 76 provinces of Thailand in the state of 'animal disease' with Stricter control regulations on transporting poultry and handling dead poultry.

On the same day, the Thai Ministry of Health Science set up two mobile laboratories in Phichit and Nakhon Phanom provinces to test for suspected cases.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture has also requested the establishment of an advisory team to assist community hospitals in Nakhon Phanom to detect and treat cases of H5N1 infection.

Thailand will send a delegation to Laos on August 3 to discuss preventive measures. Meanwhile, Laos has also implemented emergency measures to prevent the spread of disease.

Vientiane government on August 1 requested to zone, set up quarantine latches at the gateway to Vientiane and 19 villages in Xaythany district to promptly prevent poultry transport activities, destroying more than 18,000 chickens and 21,000 eggs.

Although there are no infected birds, Malaysia, Thailand's neighbor, has alarmed the risk of infection and increased control of border areas with Thailand to prevent bird smuggling. Some provinces in Malaysia have rehearsed avian influenza.