Another Person dies of Bird Flu in Vietnam - Thai PM talks of Economic cost

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 25 Jan 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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(Bird Flu = Avian Flu. They have the same meaning).

The Thai Prime Minister has said the the bird flu epidemic will damage the country's chicken export sector.

Farmers in Thailand are furious at the authorities for taking so long to acknowledge the virus' presence in the country. They feel the government had not done enough (and is not doing enough) to stop the disease from spreading from other countries.

Avian Flu (Bird Flu) has passed onto humans in Thailand and Vietnam.

As the virus has hit millions of chickens, experts are concerned that it could mutate (link with human flu and create the next human flu pandemic).

Bird Flu has hit Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

The World Health Organization confirmed two new cases of bird flu in southern Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City (new area, no bird flu reported before).

In 2003, Thailand exported 500,000 tonnes of chicken, most of it to Japan and the European Union. Japan and the European Union have announced bans (along with many other countries).

'If they are going to stop buying, we have to deal with it,' the Thai Prime Minister said. 'This is the worst-case scenario. Whatever we lose, we have to lose.'

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said the government will 'send teams to talk to customers abroad to help build confidence' and ask Japan to reduce its 90-day ban on Thailand's poultry.

'If we can control this in one month, we think the bird flu losses will be less than 10 billion baht ($280 million),' he said.

Humans infected with the disease are thought to have contracted it from fowl. The WHO, however, fears bird flu is highly adaptable and might leap the species barrier. It says anyone exposed to the disease should be quarantined to avoid contact with sufferers of regular human influenza.

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