Thailand 7/30 - 8/01

[Theresa42]

5 suspected bf cases in Maha Sarakham province in the northeast

5 suspected bf cases in Maha Sarakham province in the northeast

Machine-translated from Thai:

Find patient suspected test bird flu in Maha Sarakham - [?] establish point check/inspect move poultry
โดย ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ 1 สิงหาคม 2549 11:53 น.

Maha Sarakham - [?] deep situation bird flu after find patient suspected there is history contact chicken 5 cases command insitute that relate information because of day against day at the same time establish point check point intercept move poultry [?] trail against area adjoin province as before find history spread of bird flu.

Province Maha Sarakham guard deep situation bird flu after find dead person 1 case place province Phichit and find chicken die is a great number of place province Nakhon Phanom affect to must destroy chicken go and then more than 3 hundred thousand bodies.

In part of province Maha Sarakham can watch/guard carefully situation bird flu continuously together with go out important [?] according to village all collect sample feces go check and distribute medicine spray disinfectant with villagers which at present also not find chicken or poultry that die unusual.

Mr. [name] provincial governor Maha Sarakham say that situation bird flu of province Maha Sarakham to be in condition normal but however in order that neglect can command go also institute place relate all livestock province public health province report situation day next day.

Because today province Maha Sarakham find patients that suspected to have history contact chicken and there is symptoms fever measure 5 cases that by public health province can go out check/examine appear that is only have a cold normally but all right public relations people help together inspect/examine if find chicken die unusual quickly inform province know immediately.

Moreover also can establish point check point intercept not permit move poultry enter - exit area specially area trace against adjoin province as before there is spread of bird flu in order that accomplish watch/guard carefully not bird flu enter in area province Maha Sarakham.

http://www.manager.co.th/Local/View...000097868&Keyword=%e4%a2%e9%cb%c7%d1%b4%b9%a1

Maha Sarakham Province (in the northeast):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Sarakham_Province

 

[Theresa42]

7 bf suspects from Nakhon Phanom test neg / suspicious duck deaths in Chon Buri

7 bf suspects from Nakhon Phanom test neg / suspicious duck deaths in Chon Buri

Machine-translated from Thai:

Result test search for bird flu in patients watch/guard carefully place Nakhon Phanom 7 persons not find virus (17.30 o'clock)
วันอังคารที่ 1 สิงหาคม 2549

Result blood test patient that there is symptoms fever 7 persons from district habitation center district Meuang Nakhon Phanom which basically that there is spread of bird flu find that nobody infected with bird flu but doctor also let stay in order that symptoms completely cured lose first.

As for destroy chicken more than 3 hundred thousand bodies in area at present proceed difficulty because there is rain authority only also start be exhausted by field farmer person [?] chicken domestic in province Mukdahan be different hasten bring chicken go out sell middleman kilogram each 20 baht because fear that livestock will enter destroy chicken until be finished though will cheap lower the price also must agree.

As for frontier Thailand - Laos area province Nong Khai customs district Beung Gaal cooperate customs Meuang Bpaak [?] of Laos can check/patrol goods method strict protect smuggle bring poultry or tray eggs that used in and out country.

As for place district See Raa Chaa province Chon Buri authority go out spray disinfectant after previously there is duck die 10 bodies which check/examine [?] not find virus bird flu.

Nevertheless villagers still be worried then send check/examine that center research investigate disease region east again once.

http://www.ch7.com/news7ch_news_temp_news1.php?NewsID=79119

Chonburi Province (on the Gulf of Thailand):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chon_Buri_Province

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Thailand on bird flu alert

As the number of suspected bird-flu cases increases nationwide, Thailand Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan declared Monday (July 31) all 76 provinces of the country animal epidemic control areas, with stricter rules on the transport of poultry and handling of dead birds.

The move follows the mass culling of 300,000 chickens at 78 farms in Nakhon Phanom province on the weekend.

The Public Health Ministry is closely monitoring 765 people who took part in the slaughtering, fearing they might have been exposed to the potentially deadly bird-flu virus.

Caretaker Public Health Minister Pinij Charusombat said all 633 people involved in the culling, plus 111 farm workers, 18 people in the families that operated the farms and three other villagers were put on the provincial bird-flu watch list.

The minister was speaking during a trip to Na Klang district in the north-eastern province where the H5N1 virus was detected.

All 765 people on the list would be monitored for 14 days.

So far, six people had developed a high fever, Pinij said. Two of them had influenza symptoms and had received oseltamivir, the only anti-viral drug that can be used to treat people infected with H5N1. The other four had tested negative for the influenza virus.

He said surveillance and disinfecting in the province had to be stepped up.

The Medical Science Department sent Monday a mobile laboratory unit to the Nakhon Phanom provincial hospital to conduct further tests on suspected cases.

Pinij ordered the province's public health office to set up a bird-flu advisory team to assist and give advice to community hospitals on how to detect the H5N1 virus in humans and on the appropriate use of oseltamivir.

Besides Nakhon Phanom's Naklang sub-district, there were 45 suspected cases of human infection in 10 provinces, said Pratch Boonyawongwiroj, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry.

Fifteen cases were in Sukhothai, eight in Phitsanulok, seven in Suphan Buri, six in Phrae, three in other districts of Nakhon Phanom, and two in Phetchabun. Nakhon Nayok, Uttaradit and Phichit reported one case each.

Pratch said there were no other confirmed cases in Phichit besides that of a 17-year-old boy who died late last month.

Meanwhile, the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) yesterday blamed a "neighbouring country" as the source of the bird-flu outbreak in Nakhon Phanom.

Yukol Limlamthong, the DLD's director general, said his inquiries had found the H5N1 virus entered chicken farms in Nakhon Phanom via egg trays farm workers took from their customers on "the other side" (of the Mekong River).

The province is located on the bank of the Mekong River which forms a natural border between Thailand and Laos. The Lao government last week admitted that much of its poultry population had been infected with the bird-flu virus.

Sudarat banned Monday the import of all chicken-farm accessories (including egg trays) from neighbouring countries. She said the outbreak in the province had been contained.

Yukol insisted the H5N1 virus had only been detected in Phichit's Bang Moon Nak district and Nakhon Phanom's Na Klang sub-district, despite reports of chickens dying of suspicious causes in other provinces. The first human bird-flu victim this year died in Phichit's Tap Klo district.

"I am also wondering why there are confirmed human cases in areas where the virus is not found in poultry. Medical doctors have to investigate," he said in a telephone interview.

Under the Agriculture Ministry's latest epidemic control measures, anyone found transporting birds illegally, dumping poultry carcasses in natural waterways or burying dead poultry without informing livestock officials would face a fine or jail.

 

[Sharpe]

Re: BF confirmed in fighting cock in Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand

Re: BF confirmed in fighting cock in Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand

Nakhon Si Thammarat is in the south on the Malay peninsula.

I don't know how valuable this is, but I might as well mention it. As some of you know, I keep track of strange reports of deaths of animals and people that don't fit with the diseases or the methods and speed of spread that are ascribed to them, believing that if bird flu later appears in the area, that there may have been a handful of infections previously--acting as a sort of warning. So I copied a short article on this province on May 16th about a little girl who died of meningitis. Normally, I would have just dismissed it, but I kept it because of discrepancies in the article. They said that she died of meningococcal meningitis. In the article, apparently, the lab says that yes, she tested positive for streptococcus. This doesn't make any sense at all, because meningococcus and streptococcus are completely different things. I just thought it bizarre. And then, in the same area, just 3 weeks ago, they report that Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever was spreading through the area rapidly. DHF looks very much like bird flu, and even the way they test for it in these places doesn't distinguish the two--checking platelet levels.

Rare disease kills a toddler

Lab tests have confirmed that a toddler here has died of meningococcal meningitis, a case of which has not been seen in the Kingdom for more than a decade.

Dr Nopporn Chuenklin, who heads the provincial public health office, yesterday said about 47 people who had been in close contact with the girl were already being treated to prevent them developing serious symptoms should they have been infected.

He said a close watch was being kept over 30 medical staff who had been given drugs as a precautionary measure.

"As this is a fatal [and contagious] disease, we have to take serious preventative measures," said Nopporn.

The little girl, 19 months old, lived in Ban Nong Pring in Thung Song district. She was admitted to Thung Song Hospital before being transferred to Maharat Hospital, where she died.

Thung Song public health chief Sanit Pattanasilp said no one was sure the toddler caught the disease, but lab tests determined she had a Streptococcus bacterial infection.

"Until now, no one else seems to have caught the disease," said Nopporn.

High fever, headaches and a stiff neck are common symptoms of meningitis in anyone more than two years old. These symptoms can develop over several hours or may take one or two days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright light, confusion and sleepiness.

In newborns and infants, the classic symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to detect, and the infant may appear only slow or inactive, irritable, vomit, or simply go off his or her food. As the disease progresses, patients of any age may suffer seizures.

Krabi joins forces to combat hemorrhagic fever.
Option >>

Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 Phuket City, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, 8.30am Monday 10 July 2006 & www.Thaisnews.com
{ Our news text and mini-videos can be freely copied and posted on other websites, but please give credit to Andaman News TV11 Phuket }

The hemorrhagic fever, for which mosquitoes act as carriers, was found to be spreading in Krabi in the past week while the heath officials are joining hands with related agencies to prevent the spread. The Krabi Public Health Deputy Chief Dr. Bancha Kakhong admitted that the disease was found in all districts due to continuous rain, while mosquitoes are mostly found in rubber plantations he explained. The office then issued a warning statement for rubber farmers to prevent themselves from being bitten by the mosquitoes. The Public Health Office is also working with local administrative bodies, and local heath volunteers to survey and destroy the potential birthplaces for the mosquitoes. People are advised not to keep water in still containers around their household and if families? members experience a high fever for more than two days they are advised to seek medical consultation immediately.

 

[Nancy]

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Today's Bangkok Post editorial accuses local officials of trying to conceal flu outbreaks

General news >> Wednesday August 02, 2006
EDITORIAL

Flu cover-ups can be deadly

The recent and widespread outbreak of avian flu has revealed some unfortunate shortcomings. In both the detection and the treatment of this apparently endemic disease, officials are still far too often stuck in the past. From initial cover-up to final accounting, the performance of government officials, particularly at the province and village level, were not even satisfactory. It has been nine years since the dangerous H5N1 avian flu began killing people in nearby Hong Kong, and well over two years since the first Thai cases. Progress has been far too slow. This state of affairs is doubly frustrating. Firstly, Thailand has the knowledge and background to be the regional leader in detection, diagnosis and decision making necessary to deal with avian flu outbreaks. And it has the backing of both the top government ministers and the international community to deal professionally with this disease. As H5N1 headquarters in Southeast Asia, Thailand is host to experts from the UN's World Health Organisation and Food and Agricultural Organisation, and the US Centres for Disease Control. Authorities therefore have the double duty of acting responsibly for both the sake of Thai citizens, and for the region. Unfortunately, as a new outbreak of avian flu began to appear last month, officials in Bangkok and the provinces reverted to their old ways. Cover-up and finger-pointing in place of accountability and speedy treatment.

When chickens began dying last month, first in the North, then in the Northeast, most local officials went into the old cover-up routine. No provincial agricultural official wishes to have an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu on his or her watch. But the drill for such emergencies is now clear: There must be full and fast accounting, unfettered reporting both to the central government and the local population, and quarantines and culls put into effect.

Little of this happened in Phichit, Uttaradit and the surrounding provinces. Investigations remain to be completed, but it appears local authorities even colluded with villagers to cover-up initial reports of avian flu. One family, it is now known, buried some of its sick birds, and when their 17-year-old son became ill, did not have him taken to hospital. That young man became Thailand's 15th human victim in less than three years. Authorities believe his death may have been because of the desire to cover up the outbreak. Even more regrettably, when avian flu was found to be killing birds in Nakhon Phanom province in the Northeast, officials immediately began blaming Laos. Indeed, H5N1 has been detected in villages along the Mekong River in Laos. But it is unhelpful and wrong to point the finger in such a manner. Diseases know no national boundaries. It is as deplorable to blame Laos for an avian flu outbreak as it is to blame Thailand for spreading Aids or malaria. Such accusations are worse than undiplomatic, they interfere with what should be a mutual battle against the spread of the disease.

Bird flu is a major blight to poultry farmers and exports. It is also judged by experts to be one of the greatest potential dangers to worldwide human health. By its very nature, the H5N1 virus will lay low for lengthy periods and then suddenly flare up again. Both the Agriculture and Public Health ministries have known of the dangers, behaviour and treatment of bird flu since 2004. Officials should have responded faster, and informed the country in a more timely manner, when the highly infectious disease appeared in flocks in Phichit and Nakhon Phanom.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan wants higher fines for those flouting the quarantine rules. In fact, farmers need better education on why fowl must not be transported during H5N1 outbreaks.

But more to the point, Khunying Sudarat and other ministers must direct their provincial officials once again on why covering-up and trying to deflect blame is such a bad, even deadly idea.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Aug2006_news09.php

 

[Nancy]

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Bangkok Post
General news >> Wednesday August 02, 2006
BIRD FLU / FOWL INOCULATION

Govt adamant vaccine could intensify spread

The government remains adamant the use of bird flu vaccine could intensify the spread of the deadly virus among chickens, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday. The debate over whether the vaccine should be introduced at poultry farms nationwide resurfaced after a bird flu outbreak last week forced the culling of thousands of chickens at farms in Nakhon Phanom.

However, Mr Thaksin yesterday again refused to launch a vaccination programme despite repeated calls from poultry farmers and fighting-cock raisers for the vaccine to be made available.

He said there was no evidence that any available vaccine would be effective.

Animal disease experts are concerned vaccination would make it difficult to differentiate infected from vaccinated fowls still showing traces of avian flu.

Meanwhile, officials have been ordered to keep a close watch on provinces where massive fowl deaths have been reported, especially Sukhothai.

''Owners of expensive fighting cocks did not inform officials of suspicious deaths of their poultry fearing they would be culled. This has led to the outbreak,'' Mr Thaksin said. Bird flu outbreaks in Phichit in the North and Nakhon Phanom in the Northeast bordering Laos were under control, he said, adding that a ban on poultry movements had been imposed along the border to limit the outbreak.

However, Nirundorn Aungtragoolsuk, director of the Livestock Development Department's disease control bureau, said an intensive investigation of the Nakhon Phanom outbreak was needed as it was the first time that the H5N1 virus had been detected in the province.

Nakhon Phanom was unaffected by the first three rounds of bird flu outbreaks.

Thailand has been monitoring the bird flu situation since its first outbreak in 2004 although the disease is far from being totally eradicated.

The Public Health Ministry reported yesterday that 51 people are under surveillance for possible bird flu infection.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Aug2006_news05.php

 

[Theresa42]

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Re: Thailand 7/30 & 7/31

Avian Influenza Surveillance Daily Reports ? WHO Thailand

http://w3.whothai.org/en/Section91.htm