Thailand on high alert against bird flu

BANGKOK, January 24 (TNA) - The Ministry of Public Health has been on high alert against all strains of avian flu, but confirming that there have been no cases of the new fatal H7N9 and H5N8 viral strains in Thailand so far. Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Narong Sahamethapat told journalists that he has ordered public health offices in all provinces and his ministry's Department of Disease Control to implement five measures against avian influenza, in response to current outbreaks of the H7N9 virus in China, where two more victims have died lately, and the H5N8 strain in South Korea, where over six million chickens and ducks have been culled to stop its spreading, first found in ducks raised in a local farm. According to the senior health official, the five measures include stepping surveillance against bird flu, both in poultry and humans, investigating and collecting samples of suspicious cases for lab tests, working with the Department of Livestock Development and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to keep a close watch on suspicious deaths of sick fowl, both wild birds and those raised in local farms, telling medical personnel and hospitals in both the public and private sectors to be well-prepared for a, probably, outbreak of bird flu in their respective areas and launching public relations campaigns to raise awareness on bird flu prevention among the general public and international travelers. The senior health official noted that Thailand has been free from avian flu cases since 2006 and there have been no reports of other strains of bird flu except the H5N1 virus. According to a latest report released by the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) on January 20, 2014, a total of 205 people worldwide have contracted bird flu, 49 of them have died so far.(TNA)