Thai authorities on alert against avian flu

BANGKOK, December 22 (TNA) - Thai health authorities nationwide have been on alert against avian flu, after the deadly H5N1 virus was recently detected in a chicken carcass in Hong Kong, where bird flu alarm has been subsequently heightened to a critical level. Thai Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri told reporters Thrusday that he has ordered chiefs of provincial public health offices nationwide to closely monitor the avian flu situation in their respective areas, although there have been no bird flu patients and fatalities reported in the country for over three years. The public health minister insisted that his ministry has closely coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' Department of Livestocks Development to keep a close watch on updates, affirming that no cases of local poultry having died suspiciously so far and there is no need to issue any travel restriction at the moment. Hong Kong health authorities, meanwhile, have declared a new bird flu crisis, with over 17,000 chickens on the business island to be culled and all live poultry imports to be banned for 21 days. (TNA)