Bird flu fears spread to Thailand

A deadly bird flu that has decimated Vietnam's poultry flock and killed five
people may have reached Thailand.
Thai officials are investigating whether three people are suffering the
effects of the H5N1 avian influenza.
Thailand is among the world's largest exporters of chickens, and is a key
supplier to Europe.
The World Health Organisation has said it is concerned the virus could
mutate into a far more lethal form as it spread around the region.

Japan - Thailand's largest market - has already banned poultry imports from
Thailand, saying it had "not confirmed the infection but cannot rule it
out".

Cull

The Thai Government has for days insisted that an illness plaguing its
chickens - sparking a cull of a million birds - is not bird flu.

But on Thursday the public health ministry acknowledged it was investigating
whether three people - including a seven-year-old boy and a chicken farmer -
could be suffering the human form of the disease.
Japan moved quickly to ban imports of Thai chicken, saying it was a
precautionary step to ensure food safety.

Meanwhile, the WHO spokesman in Vietnam Bob Dietz told news agency AFP that
the spread of the virus across such a large part of Asia was a reason for
"growing concern".

"The more widespread it becomes the more chance there is that it could alter
its form," he said.
Thai critics have accused the government of a cover-up.

Despite the government reassurances, many Thais have chosen not to eat
chicken for their Chinese New Year celebrations, says the BBC's Kylie
Morris, in Bangkok.