Avian Flu

BEIJING - Since the end of 2005, China has ordered the compulsory immunisation of poultry with government-funded vaccines. But for this avian flu prevention to be successful, all concerned parties must work closely together. Unfortunately, the weakest link in China's system for preventing animal epidemics still lies at the grassroots level. 

A recent trip to a duck farm near Bangkok left visitors wondering what a duck actually looks like. That's because the farm's closed breeding environment and strict biosecurity measures mean that absolutely no one from outside are allowed to see the birds in the flesh, even for some 20 journalists who came all the way from six different countries here to Chachoengsao province.

Behind the time-honoured tradition of cockfighting lurks a deadly threat: avian flu. Tung Doan* of Vietnam News ventures to the border town of Bavet, Cambodia for a day of blood-drenched cockfighting in one of Southeast Asia’s most raucous arenas.

BEIJING, Feb 20 (Newsmekong) - The alarms over bird flu have repeatedly been going off since the beginning of the New Year. Four Indonesians died in the first two weeks of 2007, Vietnam witnessed outbreaks spreading to eight provinces, Thailand set up a ‘war room’ for a 24-hour operation of monitoring and surveying the spread of the virus, and South Korea even sent out troops for quarantine and culling tasks. Meanwhile, China confirmed a human H5N1 case in the eastern province of Anhui. Hong Kong called for a ban on releasing birds in Buddhist rituals after dead birds in its territory tested positive for H5N1, and Japan says bird flu is back after 13 months.

TAY NINH, Vietnam, Feb 12 (Newsmekong) - On a rough, earthen road surrounded by green rice paddies, Phan Anh Tam throws unhusked rice, mixed with mash and dried fish, to the thousands of white ducks waddling around his thin legs.

Va Tron’s house is no different from the others in his small village in eastern Cambodia. His earth-walled house with its palm-fronded roof is surrounded by a garden in the back and a large open yard in front. Chicken, ducks and chicks freely roam the grounds.

In the corner of the larger of Va's two-room house is a bed. Near it is a buffalo stable enclosed by dry wood logs and branches. Another area is reserved for cooking, above which are numerous chicken coops.

 

Joint cooperation, stemming from the realisation that avian flu does not recognise borders, would make measures to combat it more effective in Laos’ Khammuan province and in neighbouring Nakhon Phanom province just across the border in Thailand.

Poultry farmers in Nakhon Phanom province suffered heavy losses following an outbreak of the avian influenza virus in July. Officials are still trying to pinpoint possible sources of the outbreak, and are working with the Lao counterparts to prevent further occurrences of the disease.

KHAMMUAN, Laos - One poultry farmer claims that her animal husbandry methods both provide prevention of avian flu and increases profits too.

The owner of Saleuamsak Farm, Phonemy Keochanthala, built the farm in Khammuan province in 2001, before the H5N1 avian flu reached Laos. This was the first enclosed chicken farm in the country.