Asia moves to contain bird flu

cctv.com 01-31-2004 09:54

In Asia, the battle to contain bird flu continues. Thailand's mass poultry cull may be nearing an end, while in the Philippines, a chicken lunch demonstrates the safety of eating cooked poultry. And in Taiwan, authorities have ordered the cull of 50,000 chickens and ducks.

Thailand has carried out a mass culling of its poultry. According to the latest government estimates, almost 11 million chickens have been slaughtered in the country. but some chicken owners complained that the government is not offering enough compensation.

In the Philippines on Friday, a chicken lunch was held for WHO country representatives. The lunch signified the safety of eating cooked poultry.

WHO representative to the Philippines Jean Marc Olive said, "鈥as we are demonstrating here, it's extremely safe to eat chicken. And even in countries with bird flu and with infected animal, if properly cooked, it's safe to eat the meat."

In this outbreak of the bird flu, the disease hasn't appeared in the Philippines. The government credits this to its geographic isolation and ban on poultry imports from infected countries.

In Taiwan, authorities ordered the cull of 50,000 chickens and ducks. The Council of Agriculture said 40,000 chickens at three southern Taiwan farms had been found with H5N2. But officials say this strain does not affect humans.

However the bird flu virus has jumped to humans in Vietnam, where eight people have died, and in Thailand, where two people have died. The World Health Organization has said that killing infected poultry is key in controlling the outbreak of the virus, and preventing it from becoming established in humans.

Editor:Xiao  Source:CCTV.com