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