Thailand free of bird flu: Official

Thailand free of bird flu: Official

BANGKOK: Thailand is free of bird flu and will resume the
breeding of chickens next month, an Agriculture Ministry official
said on Monday.

No areas of Thailand have had active cases of bird flu in
poultry since Feb. 25, said Yukol Limlamthong, director-general
of the ministry's Livestock Department.

Yukol said his office had reported its findings to the World
Organization for Animal Health - better known by its French
acronym OIE.

He said that according to OIE rules, breeding of new chicken
stocks could resume three weeks after no new cases had been
found, "but to be sure, Thai farmers can begin to resume breeding
new chickens from the beginning of April."

Thailand first announced Jan. 23 that bird flu had been
discovered in the country. More than 30 million chickens died
from the disease or were culled to stop its spread, and seven
people who had close contact with poultry also died from the
virus. -- AP