Thailand's bird flu prevention agencies concerned will draft a revised strategy to control and prevent outbreaks of avian and human influenza virus for the long term, Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras said on Monday.

 

After chairing a committee meeting on preparedness for preventing, responding and controlling both bird flu and human influenza, Kosit said the meeting agreed to draft the new strategy on dealing with outbreaks of both bird flu and human flu viruses, the Thai News Agency reported.

 

A committee headed by the National Economic and Social Development Board secretary general will be appointed to draft the plan, he said, adding that the current strategy, approved by the cabinet in 2005, ends this year and should be replaced with the revised one.

 

The new plan is expected to have a duration of three or five years and will include poultry vaccination as an added measure should an outbreak reach critical proportions.

 

He reconfirmed that fresh outbreaks were found in only two provinces -- Phitsanulok in the north and Nong Khai in the northeast -- and that there were still 40 patients under close supervision whose status has not yet been determined.

 

There have been 25 bird flu patients in Thailand since the most recent outbreak here in 2004, of whom 17 died of the H5N1 virus.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2007)