Re: Laos reports bird flu outbreak in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang bird flu outbreak confirmed
Luang Prabang bird flu outbreak confirmed
Samples taken from dead ducks in Nambak district of Luang Prabang province have
tested positive for avian influenza, agriculture officials confirmed yesterday.
Lab staff in Vientiane test eggs for avian influenza.
Officials say they plan to cull more than 7,000 birds in the red zone (outbreak
area), which covers four villages, in an attempt to contain the virus.
About 3,000 birds have been culled so far and authorities are closely monitoring
the situation to see if further culling is necessary.
The outbreak was first suspected on August 27, when 18 ducks died on a farm
owned by Ms Daeng, who is a major poultry trader and breeder in Nambak district.
By September 2, she reported the deaths of 353 ducks. Officials began testing
for the H5N1 virus on September 4.
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Department Director General, Dr Bounkhouang
Khambounheuang,
said Ms Daeng bought ducks from Oudomxay province to breed on
her farm and this was believed to have sparked the outbreak.
“We have sent officials to investigate and take samples from birds in Oudomxay
province, but we are yet to find any cases of bird flu,” he said.
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?We have halted the import of poultry from neighbouring countries as a step
towards resolving the issue.”
Officials said the outbreak would not negatively impact tourism in the world
heritage listed town of Luang Prabang because strict measures had been taken to
prevent poultry from entering the city.
No human cases have been recorded and authorities are currently distributing
information to local villagers about preventative measures they can take to
reduce the virus' spread.
Luang Prabang Livestock and Fishery Division Deputy Head, Mr Kaenchan Pinthip,
said the outbreak's red-zone included the
four villages of Fa, Thaly, Phonsa-at
and Namkhan.
“The transportation, trade and consumption of poultry are banned throughout
the entire Nambak district,” he said.
“We are continuing to test samples every day to monitor the situation.”
Fa village is 500 metres from the Nambak administration office and 150km from
Luang Prabang town. It has a population of 1,400 people living in 221
households. The community has more th an 5,400 birds, including chickens, ducks
and turkeys.
Laos has previously relied on laboratory tests from Thailand and Vietnam to
confirm cases of bird flu. The construction of a testing facility last year
enabled officials to independently confirm outbreaks of the virus. A new
international standard laboratory, funded by the Japanese government, is
currently under construction in Vientiane .
Several bird flu outbreaks have occurred in Laos since 2004. The most serious
outbreak occurred in 2007 when two human fatalities were confirmed in Vientiane
province and the capital.
In 2004, the authorities slaughtered more than 155,000 birds in a bid to control
an outbreak of the virus and in July 2006 the disease resurfaced in Vientiane,
leading to the culling of more than 338,000 birds over a two-week period.
Earlier this year, an outbreak of the virus occurred in Luang Namtha province
and authorities there culled thousands of birds to halt the spread of the
disease.:tiphat:
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeContent_laung.htm
By Somsack Pongkhao
(Latest Update September 9, 2008)
he said.
when the virus resurfaced in Southeast Asia, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics. Both deaths were reported last year.
