Asian countries step up bird flu prevention

cctv.com 02-01-2004 12:01

Bird flu continues to spread in many South East Asian countries, and as yet unaffected areas are going to great lengths to keep their own poultry industries and populations free of the disease.

According to the latest official statistics, released on Saturday, four more Thai provinces have been declared as bird flu control zones, raising the number of affected provinces to 33. Meanwhile, Thailand's Health Ministry announced another two suspected bird flu infected patients. The number of suspected bird flu patients in the country is now 14, while confirmed cases stayed level at three as of Friday.

In Vietnam, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai urged all bird flu-hit cities and provinces in the country to kill poultry rapidly and ban the transport and trade of fowls. So far, bird flu has hit 44 out of 64 provinces in Vietnam.

In Indonesia, to cope with the fast spreading disease, the government has quickly adopted anti-bird flu measures and called for all nationals to act against the disease.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, has decided to establish a suspected case reporting system.

Though Singapore, Myanmar and Malaysia still remain clear of the disease, they all have taken precautions to keep the virus from crossing their borders.

The World Health Organization called on affected countries to speed up poultry culls in bird flu hit areas, and stressed the importance of compensating farmers who suffer financially from the loss of their flocks. The organization, at the same time, appealed to the international community to provide financial assistance to disease stricken countries to ensure the disease is kept well under control.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com