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Disaster zones declared
Poultry movements banned in all 16 districts as mass bird cull gets underway
By Sunthorn Pongpao Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
<!--img--><!--/img-->All 16 districts in this central province have been declared disaster zones to help public health authorities with the mass culling of poultry in bird flu-prone areas.
A ban on fowl movements throughout the province, especially free-range ducks from other provinces, has also been enforced.
Provincial Governor Cherdpan na Songkhla, who issued the order yesterday, said areas where bird flu had previously been confirmed, such as Bang Pahan, Phak Hai and Bang Pa-in districts, were still at risk because the virus remained dormant in water resources and residential areas.
Provincial health official Rattanachai Chullanet said the latest laboratory tests showed that Boonlert Chuenruedee, 43, a free-range duck raiser, was not infected with bird flu virus after he helped bury dead ducks and later developed a high fever and sore throat.
Deputy permanent secretary for agriculture Yukol Limlamthong said Thailand should be on alert for a possible outbreak spreading into the kingdom from neighbouring countries.
To prevent a possible new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has sought cooperation from the Customs Department to monitor and ban the import of poultry and breeding equipment from neighbouring countries hit by avian influenza.
As the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry steps up its guard against bird flu, public health authorities are considering a new partner in China to jointly develop influenza vaccines.
Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla and senior health officials decided to look for a new Chinese biotechnology firm which could provide better technology and a larger production capacity than Sinovac Biotech, a Chinese firm previously targeted for the job.
''We would like to make sure that we get the best technology for research and development of a vaccine. We need to think thoroughly before making a decision to sign a contract with any firm,'' Dr Mongkol said after returning from China last week.
The Public Health Ministry previously planned to work with Sinovac Biotechnology, which has the potential to transfer technological know-how which could help vaccine development.
The company planned to construct a vaccine manufacturing plant in Saraburi or a Livestock Development Department plant in Nakhon Ratchasima capable of producing up to two million doses of human flu vaccine a year by 2009.
The minister said any cooperation with the Chinese biotechnology firm regarding vaccine development would be carried out under a government-to-government framework which needed final approval from the prime minister.
However, he accepted that the decision to find a new partner could set back preparations for a possible flu pandemic as it could take up to four years to finalise the blueprint for a plant after signing a contract with a firm.
He was worried that delays to plans to manufacture millions of doses of the vaccine could hamper Thailand's opportunity to receive international funding for bird flu research and development from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO will choose which country to grant the budget to on Feb 14. The health agency last month sent a proposal to request grants from the WHO-organised Pledging Fund, contributed to by richer nations such as the United States and Japan. If approved, Thailand could receive up to 80 million baht for developing the flu vaccine plant. Six countries _ Thailand, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Vietnam _ have been shortlisted for the programme.
Dr Mongkol in October called for a rethink of plans to vaccinate animals developed after the country faced a series of avian flu outbreaks since 2004. He said the virus had mutated and it was difficult to diagnose the symptoms in new human fatalities.
The bird flu policy committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras, will make a decision on limited vaccine use in bird flu-plagued areas on Jan 29.
However, virologist Prasert Thongcharoen said a thorough study on the effectiveness of animal vaccines used in neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia was essential before undertaking the measure here.
Such a study was necessary to find out if the vaccine could reduce the transmission of the virus from both animals to animals and animals to humans, he said.
Bird flu was still rife in Vietnam and Indonesia despite their animal vaccination policies, he said.
Disaster zones declared
Poultry movements banned in all 16 districts as mass bird cull gets underway
By Sunthorn Pongpao Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
<!--img--><!--/img-->All 16 districts in this central province have been declared disaster zones to help public health authorities with the mass culling of poultry in bird flu-prone areas.
A ban on fowl movements throughout the province, especially free-range ducks from other provinces, has also been enforced.
Provincial Governor Cherdpan na Songkhla, who issued the order yesterday, said areas where bird flu had previously been confirmed, such as Bang Pahan, Phak Hai and Bang Pa-in districts, were still at risk because the virus remained dormant in water resources and residential areas.
Provincial health official Rattanachai Chullanet said the latest laboratory tests showed that Boonlert Chuenruedee, 43, a free-range duck raiser, was not infected with bird flu virus after he helped bury dead ducks and later developed a high fever and sore throat.
Deputy permanent secretary for agriculture Yukol Limlamthong said Thailand should be on alert for a possible outbreak spreading into the kingdom from neighbouring countries.
To prevent a possible new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has sought cooperation from the Customs Department to monitor and ban the import of poultry and breeding equipment from neighbouring countries hit by avian influenza.
As the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry steps up its guard against bird flu, public health authorities are considering a new partner in China to jointly develop influenza vaccines.
Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla and senior health officials decided to look for a new Chinese biotechnology firm which could provide better technology and a larger production capacity than Sinovac Biotech, a Chinese firm previously targeted for the job.
''We would like to make sure that we get the best technology for research and development of a vaccine. We need to think thoroughly before making a decision to sign a contract with any firm,'' Dr Mongkol said after returning from China last week.
The Public Health Ministry previously planned to work with Sinovac Biotechnology, which has the potential to transfer technological know-how which could help vaccine development.
The company planned to construct a vaccine manufacturing plant in Saraburi or a Livestock Development Department plant in Nakhon Ratchasima capable of producing up to two million doses of human flu vaccine a year by 2009.
The minister said any cooperation with the Chinese biotechnology firm regarding vaccine development would be carried out under a government-to-government framework which needed final approval from the prime minister.
However, he accepted that the decision to find a new partner could set back preparations for a possible flu pandemic as it could take up to four years to finalise the blueprint for a plant after signing a contract with a firm.
He was worried that delays to plans to manufacture millions of doses of the vaccine could hamper Thailand's opportunity to receive international funding for bird flu research and development from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO will choose which country to grant the budget to on Feb 14. The health agency last month sent a proposal to request grants from the WHO-organised Pledging Fund, contributed to by richer nations such as the United States and Japan. If approved, Thailand could receive up to 80 million baht for developing the flu vaccine plant. Six countries _ Thailand, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Vietnam _ have been shortlisted for the programme.
Dr Mongkol in October called for a rethink of plans to vaccinate animals developed after the country faced a series of avian flu outbreaks since 2004. He said the virus had mutated and it was difficult to diagnose the symptoms in new human fatalities.
The bird flu policy committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras, will make a decision on limited vaccine use in bird flu-plagued areas on Jan 29.
However, virologist Prasert Thongcharoen said a thorough study on the effectiveness of animal vaccines used in neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia was essential before undertaking the measure here.
Such a study was necessary to find out if the vaccine could reduce the transmission of the virus from both animals to animals and animals to humans, he said.
Bird flu was still rife in Vietnam and Indonesia despite their animal vaccination policies, he said.