Laboratory tests have confirmed that four pigeons died after becoming infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus strain, the most virulent one. The four birds were part of a group of wild birds that suddenly died one month ago in the Suphan Buri province, Thailand.
“We have asked all related officials to closely monitor the death of poultry and birds. Any people that have flu like symptoms with a history of contacting poultry will be quarantined,” said the Director General of Disease Control, Thawat Suntrajarn.
Wild ducks have died of bird flu infection in the north of the country, say authorities.
Poultry exports are an important part of the Thai economy – it is the fourth largest exporter of poultry in the world. Millions of people depend on poultry for their livelihood and sustenance.
Many are talking of a new wave of bird flu hitting south east Asia. Four people have died of H5N1 infection since the beginning of the year.
Scientists say that the H5N1 virus strain has a better chance of mutating if the number of humans becoming infected grows. At the moment it is still difficult for a human to catch bird flu from a bird, it is even harder for an infected human to pass it on to another human.
The H5N1 virus strain might find a way to mutate if it infected a person who also had the normal human flu. The bird flu virus could then exchange genetic information with the human flu virus, and acquire its ability to spread easily from human-to-human – become easily human transmissible. If this happened the new flu would spread rapidly and could become a serious threat to human health around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is crucial that we stamp out any outbreak of bird flu swiftly. By doing so, we make it more difficult for the virus to mutate.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today