Thailand Concedes Missteps on Bird Flu

The Thai government has admitted that it fumbled during the early stages of the bird flu outbreak. Yet it is now committed to aggressive action and transparent collaboration. Some Thai farmers are unhappy, however, claiming that if the government had taken the proper steps back in November, when the flu was first discovered, the need for large scale slaughter of chickens, possibly harming the rural economy, could have been averted. Thailand has already slaughtered 10 million chickens, more than other infected Asian nations, to avoid further contamination. While Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called for more cooperation among infected nations, some, like Indonesia, still hesitate. Jakarta has made killing chickens in infected areas only voluntary, which the World Health Organization has said is ineffective. Pakistan and China, however, have both slaughtered infected chickens. Health officials fear the worst if the flu mutates into a virus that is easily transmissible between humans. – YaleGlobal