Thailand denies covering up bird flu cases

cctv.com 01-23-2004 09:33

The government of Thailand says it is not covering up cases of bird flu. It was responding to a report by the Nation newspaper, which quoted medical sources saying several Thais had died of bird flu, but health officials were covering up the cases. Meanwhile, tests are continuing on three Thais who may have contracted the disease, which has killed at least five people in neighboring Vietnam.

Thai health officials on Thursday dismissed the Nation report. They said Thailand has nothing to hide and promises transparency as the country deals with the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has revealed that three Thais are being tested for bird flu.

Warning against jumping to conclusions, an agricultural official has warned of dire consequences for the economy, even if the tests prove negative.

An outbreak of poultry cholera was diagnosed in November. Since then, confidence in the 1 billion US dollar export industry has been dented. Nearly 900,000 chickens have died in Thailand since November -- 30,000 of which from cholera and respiratory problems.

Newin Chidchob, Thai Deputy Agriculture Minister, said, "We are still waiting for the final laboratory results. Today remember my words, if we say there are cases of bird flu but in fact there aren't any, this would mean disaster for hundreds of thousands of families working in the poultry industry."

The Thai Agriculture Ministry is stepping up efforts to contain the spread of the disease, slaughtering chickens and disinfecting farms.

The current outbreak of bird flu in the Asian region has already killed at least five people in Vietnam. And infected birds have been found in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan Island.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com