A new bird flu outbreak has been detected in Thailand's northern province of Phichit, but no human infection was found by far, Thai livestock officials said Friday.

 

Laboratory tests showed samples from villagers in Sak Lek district to have the H5N1 virus, said Thailand's Livestock Development Department under the Agriculture Ministry.

 

According to the announcement of the department, about 30 chicken in Phichit have already died.

 

This is the second bird flu outbreak in Thailand this year. Thefirst outbreak was confirmed on Thursday in lower northern Nakhon Sawan Province, which borders Phichit.

 

Early Friday, Sakchai Sriboonsue, director-general of the department, said Nakhon Sawan was immediately declared a bird flu outbreak zone after the outbreak. All poultry movements are banned without official permission.

 

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of chickens in district found the virus in Nakhon Sawan were culled and disinfectant was sprayed throughout nearby areas.

 

Bird flu outbreaks have plagued Thailand during the past years. The most recent big outbreak was reported in March 2007 in northeastern province of Mukdahan bordering Laos.

 

Last September, Phichit also reported detection of the H5N1 virus that killed dozens of chickens raised by a villager.

 

The latest wave of bird flu outbreaks in Thailand since 2004 has seen 25 people infected with the deadly H5N1 virus, 17 of whom died.  

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2008)