Sunday, September 17, 2006
Laos turns to puppets to spread the word about bird flu ( 2:31 p.m.)
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)
Laos is turning to puppets to educate citizens about the threat of bird flu following an outbreak of the deadly virus among chickens, a newspaper said Saturday.
The campaign by the Lao National Puppet Theater will begin next month to raise awareness of ways to prevent the spread of bird flu and how to avoid the disease, the English-language Vientiane Times reported. Among the messages: clean your hands after handling poultry, the newspaper said.
Last month, Laos reported an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among chickens at a farm near the capital, Vientiane.
Some 2,580 chickens were found dead at the poultry farm in Xaythany district, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Vientiane. There have been no reported cases of humans contracting the virus in Laos.
In October last year, the United States announced it was granting US$3.4 million (?2.7 million) in aid for impoverished Laos to battle the disease.
The virulent H5N1 virus has killed at least 144 people in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, the World Health Organization said. Forty-nine of the cases have been in hardest-hit Indonesia, it said.
The Lao National Puppet Theater is run by the Ministry of Information and Culture and is charged with providing entertainment to public audiences, especially those in rural areas.
Laos turns to puppets to spread the word about bird flu ( 2:31 p.m.)
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)
Laos is turning to puppets to educate citizens about the threat of bird flu following an outbreak of the deadly virus among chickens, a newspaper said Saturday.
The campaign by the Lao National Puppet Theater will begin next month to raise awareness of ways to prevent the spread of bird flu and how to avoid the disease, the English-language Vientiane Times reported. Among the messages: clean your hands after handling poultry, the newspaper said.
Last month, Laos reported an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among chickens at a farm near the capital, Vientiane.
Some 2,580 chickens were found dead at the poultry farm in Xaythany district, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Vientiane. There have been no reported cases of humans contracting the virus in Laos.
In October last year, the United States announced it was granting US$3.4 million (?2.7 million) in aid for impoverished Laos to battle the disease.
The virulent H5N1 virus has killed at least 144 people in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, the World Health Organization said. Forty-nine of the cases have been in hardest-hit Indonesia, it said.
The Lao National Puppet Theater is run by the Ministry of Information and Culture and is charged with providing entertainment to public audiences, especially those in rural areas.
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