The Ministry of Public Health Thursday tried to allay public fears that bird flu infected tigers could pass the virus to humans by insisting that the two caretakers from the bird flu-ridden tiger zoo in the eastern province of Chonburi, have only suffered from a cold.

Doctor Suchai Chareonrattanakul, the deputy health minister, told a TNA reporter there has been no scientific evidence to show bird flu virus can transmit from infected tigers to people.

Some 30 tigers in Sriracha Zoo had died from bird flu. The zoo has been closed to public since Tuesday.

The tigers?nbsp;deaths have prompted the government to test at least 57 tiger caretakers for the virus.

创Only two of 57 tiger caretakers are sick from human flu, not from bird flu. The rest are found in good health. However, to be on the safe side, the ministry has also put other workers in the tiger zoo under quarantine,创 he said.

He said the ministry has closely monitored for bird flu in humans and plans to open up six provincial labs which could yield speedy results within one day. He said the labs would be up and running within days.

创We have built six more labs nationwide to test sick humans. The labs can yield results in one day without officials having to send samples to the government lab in Bangkok. These labs would be available in big provinces --for instance Chiang Mai in the north, and Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeast,创 said Doctor Suchai.

Responding to a question that some crocodiles in the Srirachai Tiger zoo had also died from bird flu, the deputy health minister said the Department of Livestock would be able to answer that question because it has been responsible to determine bird flu infection in animals.

创The Ministry of Public Health is monitoring bird flu infection in humans and I can ensure you that until now there has been no more than four cases of people infected with the virus. The government will inform the public if there is any new case because it is not trying to cover up anything. We have been praised by the World Health Organization for our success in containing bird flu in humans,创 he said.