Thailand Declares 'war' On Bird Flu

[xbusman]

Thailand declares 'war' on bird flu amid fears of global pandemic

Sept 29 AFP via Yahoo News

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's premier announced a month-long "war" on bird flu as tests continued to discover if an outbreak within a Thai family threatened a global pandemic.

Thailand confirmed Tuesday its first probable case of human-to-human infection of bird flu after a mother and daughter died but officials said it appeared the strain had not mutated into a more infectious form for humans.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra warned the disease was damaging Thailand's standing in the world and hinted that several ministers could lose their jobs unless the crisis was ended.

"The government will wage a war on bird flu during October because it is big problem that sparks fear both domestically and internationally," he told a meeting of officials in Bangkok.

"Confidence in Thai poultry, tourism and food safety will also be affected," he said, exhorting officials to greater efforts so the country could be declared bird flu free by October 31.

"Should there be a cabinet reshuffle, a few people including the deputy prime minister, agricultural minister and health minister... will be moved out."

A government spokesman in January admitted Thailand had "screwed-up" over its handling of bird flu after weeks of denials that it had any cases and said that officials could be sacked. However, there were no high-profile casualties.

Thaksin has sporadically declared "wars" on problems confronting the nation and the front against flu will coincide with a new war on corruption and a second round of a controversial war on drugs.

The announcement on Wednesday came after the human-to-human case raised fears that the bird flu virus could mutate into a highly contagious form and trigger a global human flu pandemic.

A mutated bird flu outbreak was blamed for the deaths of as many as 40 million people worldwide in 1918.

Thai health officials said Tuesday that evidence indicated the lethal H5N1 strain had not changed and that likely human-to-human cases had been limited to one family and a single village in northern Thailand.

However, tests were continuing on samples taken from the latest victims and were expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Pranee Krongkaew, 26, died nine days ago after returning to her home near Bangkok after caring for her sick 11-year-old daughter in hospital, according to Thai and WHO officials.

The girl, who lived with her aunt in a village in northern Kamphaeng Phet province, also died this month from suspected bird flu but was cremated before definitive tests could be carried out.

Her 32-year-old aunt was also confirmed with bird flu and her son also became ill but they are both recovering in hospital.

A large number of chickens had died from bird flu in the area and some villagers had fled the area because of fears of further infection, according to newspaper reports Wednesday.

Asia has been hit by two waves of the disease since December last year that have left at least 10 people dead in Thailand and 19 in Vietnam and killed more than 100 million birds across the region.

Almost all human cases are thought to have been contracted from close contact with birds.

Bird flu has struck 32 of Thailand's 76 provinces since July in the second wave of cases this year and badly hit poultry sales overseas.

Thailand had been one of the world's biggest exporters before the bird flu crisis.

Despite the deadly serious nature of this problem, I couldn't resist. This one is for you Ovenman, the AFP is declaring Thailand to be the hub of wars.