Bird flu experts are warning the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain could re-emerge in Thailand even though there has been little sign of it for years.
Migratory birds and pet dogs and cats could possibly transmit avian influenza from animal to human without stringent disease surveillance, Pilaipan Puthavathana, a virologist at Siriraj Hospital's department of microbiology, said yesterday.
"Nobody dares to say the virus has been wiped out here as long as our neighbouring countries continue to report bird flu cases," she said in a summary of a three-year follow up on avian flu surveillance from animals to humans in Thailand.
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Studies had found H5N1 antigens in cats and dogs. These animals could survive bird flu but transmit the virus to their owners.
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