Bird flu in Asia confirmed

BANGKOK – The strain of bird flu that killed 24 people in Southeast Asia early this year has erupted again in Thailand and China, but authorities in both countries said yesterday the outbreaks were under control.

Thailand said it had confirmed outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which first emerged in Hong Kong in 1997, at two farms near towns north of Bangkok. China said the virus had struck a farm in central Anhui province, 300 km (180 miles) west of Shanghai.Both governments were quick to add that the new outbreaks were being dealt with decisively and a repeat of the epidemic that swept across much of Asia earlier this year was unlikely.That outbreak killed 16 people in Vietnam and eight in Thailand.About 100 million fowl died or were culled, more than 40 million of them in Thailand, which had been the world’s fourth-largest chicken exporter.”The outbreak has come under control,” in Anhui, the semi-official China News Service said of the latest scare Officials ordered the culling of all poultry within a 3km radius of the farm.Poultry within a 5km radius was being vaccinated.It was unclear how many birds in Anhui died of the disease, or how many had been culled and vaccinated.Thailand has never declared its epidemic over.China said in March it had stamped out the disease, but said bird flu could spread again as the weather warmed up and water fowl migrated.The World Health Organisation expressed caution at the time, saying it believed no Asian country had yet contained the virus.- Nampa-ReutersChina said the virus had struck a farm in central Anhui province, 300 km (180 miles) west of Shanghai.Both governments were quick to add that the new outbreaks were being dealt with decisively and a repeat of the epidemic that swept across much of Asia earlier this year was unlikely.That outbreak killed 16 people in Vietnam and eight in Thailand.About 100 million fowl died or were culled, more than 40 million of them in Thailand, which had been the world’s fourth-largest chicken exporter.”The outbreak has come under control,” in Anhui, the semi-official China News Service said of the latest scare Officials ordered the culling of all poultry within a 3km radius of the farm.Poultry within a 5km radius was being vaccinated.It was unclear how many birds in Anhui died of the disease, or how many had been culled and vaccinated.Thailand has never declared its epidemic over.China said in March it had stamped out the disease, but said bird flu could spread again as the weather warmed up and water fowl migrated.The World Health Organisation expressed caution at the time, saying it believed no Asian country had yet contained the virus.- Nampa-Reuters