BANGKOK, 2 May 2013 The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has joined hands with related agencies in stepping up concrete measures to prevent the new strain of bird flu H7N9 virus spreading in Thailand.
During the seminar on Thailand’s readiness to tackle Influenza A (H7N9), Deputy Prime minister and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Yukol Limlamthong said that Thailand is still at risk of a possible H7N9 bird flu virus outbreak due to the ongoing pandemic in China.
The minister has, however, reassured that preventive measures are in place, which include cleaning and disinfecting bird-flu prone areas twice a year, controlling the transport of poultry across provinces, and properly disposing of poultry carcasses.
Moreover, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has been assigned to keep monitoring migratory flight routes of birds, especially those from China.
The Bureau of Emerging Infectious Diseases will convene the first board of committee meeting for 2013 on May 3. The Department of Livestock Development is set to request for additional budget worth THB107 million for the prevention of the outbreak.
