Bird flu still threatens SE Asian countries

cctv.com 01-27-2004 12:04

The Thai Health Ministry has announced that another four people suspected of having bird flu have died in the country. Earlier on Sunday, a young Thai boy was confirmed to have also died from the virus. And in Indonesia and Pakistan, the deadly disease has claimed millions of chickens.

The boy who died from bird flu in Thailand was only six years old. At his funeral, his parents accused the government of covering up the outbreak.

"I want to ask the government why they didn't tell people so they could protect themselves? Nobody wants to get sick and die," said Thamnan Boonmanut, victim's father.

The Thai government admitted to the presence of bird flu on Friday after weeks of denial. About 10 million chickens have been culled across the country. The Agriculture Ministry announced on Monday that the disease had spread to all 10 provinces in Thailand.

The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the rapid spread of the disease across Asian countries, and called on the international community to help find a cure. WHO regional spokesman Peter Cordingley said the search for a bird flu vaccine had suffered a setback, because the virus from the Hong Kong bird flu outbreak in 1997 could no longer be used as a prototype.

In Indonesia, the Agriculture Department denied that it had covered up an outbreak of bird flu under pressure from businessmen.

"It's not true that there has been commercial pressure. The poultry businessmen are well aware of these cases and will follow up all government decisions because it is also in their interests to do so," said Hari Priyono, spokesman of Indonesian Agriculture Department.

In Pakistan, avian flu has killed millions of chickens in recent weeks. The WHO hasn't ruled out the possibility that strains of bird flu in Pakistan could spread to humans.

Meanwhile, China says it is working hard to stop bird flu from surfacing in its territory. It has banned all poultry imports from countries hit by bird flu. The country has so far reported no bird flu cases.

Editor:Han  Source:CCTV.com