Public Health ministry ramps up bird flu precautions

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BANGKOK, 4 July 2012  – Following a recent outbreak of bird flu in China, the Ministry of Public Health is today ramping up further precautions amongst the nation’s poultry farmers.

Officials in China’s remote northwestern region of Xinjiang have culled more than 150,000 chickens, after detecting an outbreak of bird flu in the area on June 20.

Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri said he has instructed provincial health offices across the country to closely monitor signs of bird flu as damp conditions during the rainy reason are conducive to the spread of the deadly disease.

As a pre-emptive measure, the Ministry is urging poultry farm workers to immediately notify local livestock services if any chickens in their care died an unnatural death and to avoid cooking the chickens at all costs.

The last outbreak of bird flu in Thailand was reported over 5 years ago.