New Vietnamese bird flu strain hasn’t spread to Thailand: Disease Control Dept

BANGKOK, Sept 9 - A new strain of the potentially deadly bird flu virus that has emerged in Vietnam has not yet spread to Thailand, Disease Control Department Director-General Pornthep Siriwanarangsan confirmed. The strain appeared to be a mutation of the H5N1 virus but more toxic. It has claimed two deaths so far and forced Vietnam to cull over 180,000 chickens and ducks in affected zones. Thailand has been on alert against the bird flu virus. There has been no poultry infections since 2008 and no human infections since 2007. Despite there being no report of the new strain of the bird flu virus appearing in Thailand, the authorities are on alert to monitor the situation closely, he said.