Thailand says its avian flu battle is over

May 5, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – After an arduous 10-month battle against the H5N1 avian influenza virus, Thailand has declared itself free of the disease, the Bangkok Post reported today.

The country hasn´t identified a human case of H5N1 infection since the death last October of a 14-year-old girl in Sukhothai province, but poultry outbreaks had continued. Yesterday marked the end of a 3-week surveillance period at a farm in Lop Buri, the last place to have reported an H5N1 outbreak, the newspaper said.

This is the first time Thailand has been free of avian flu since the disease re-emerged last July, officials told the Post. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will continue to watch for any re-emergence of the virus, said ministry assistant Charal Trinvuthipong. Officials will continue to conduct bi-weekly checks for avian flu.

In addition, the ministry has recruited more than 600 temporary workers to watch for avian flu. They will work in nine northern and central provinces where H5N1 kept reappearing: Ang Thong, Lop Buri, Kampheng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, and Uttaradit, the Post reported.

Along with the surveillance, officials will seek closed-system poultry-raising methods for small-scale farms, said Sudarat Keyuraphan, agriculture and cooperatives minister.

The end of the outbreaks is good news for Thailand´s poultry industry. Chicken exports are expected to reach a target of 300,000 tons this year, Anan Sirimongkolkasem, president of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, told the Post in a separate story today. That´s nearly a 40% increase over the previous year.

Thailand is chiefly shipping cooked products because raw poultry remains banned in major export markets, he said.

Avian Influenza surveillance in human
As at April 29, 2005.
Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Diseases Control, Ministry of Public Health

I. Avian Influenza in human situation 2005

Since January 1, 2005 to April 29, 2005, the Bureau of Epidemiology has received 541 cumulative reports, 61 provinces of influenza or pneumonia cases in Avian Influenza Surveillance Network from the Provincial Health Offices and Disease Prevention and Control Regional Offices. The results of preliminary investigation were summarized as follows:
  1. No new confirm case.
  2. No new case. 
  3. Cases under investigation, either additional clinical information or past history of risk factors are needed: = 3; from Samutprakarn. (table 1)
  4. Excluded cases, either the findings did not comply with the definitions or laboratory result revealed other causes : 538 cases.

II. Avian Influenza in human situation 2004

  1. Confirmed cases by laboratory detection of Influenza A (H5N1). 
            Total = 17; recovered = 5 and deaths = 12
  2. Probable case, because the signs complied with the definitions or died or respiratory failure or preliminary laboratory result.
        revealed influenza group A infection = 1; death = 1
  3. Suspected cases, which the signs complied with the definitions.
       Total = 22; recovered = 13 and deaths = 9

III. Avian Influenza International Situation, www.who.int

    ·      World Health Organization had reported H5N1 confirmed cases in Vietnam since 28 January 2004, to 14 April 2005 = 68, deaths = 36; Three dead confirmed cases from Cambodia; and the number of 17 cases with 12 deaths in Thailand. (Table 2)

    IV. Domestic Avian Influenza in poultry situation

     

    Avian influenza in poultry situation on the Department of Livestock Development web site (www.dld.go.th) since February 1 to April 28, 2005  showed 2 tambons; 2 provinces where the H5N1 virus are still be detected Suphanburi and Lopburi. The areas waiting for laboratory result = 3 provinces; 4 tambons.

     

    Table 1 Details of 3 cases under investigation.

     

    No.

    Sex

    Age
    (yrs.)

    District

    Province

     Contact chicken
    history

    Dead chicken
    nearby

    Onset

    Diagnosis

    1

    F

    37

    Muang 

    Samutprakarn

    Yes

    Yes

    Apr 23, 2005

    NA

    2

    M

    3

    Muang 

    Samutprakarn

    Yes

    Yes

    Apr 21, 2005

    NA

    3 

    M 

    27

    Muang 

    Samutprakarn

    Yes

    Yes

    Apr 25, 2005

    NA

     

    Table 2 : Details of confirmed H5N1 cases.

    Duration

    Vietnam

    Cambodia

    Thailand

     

    Case

    Dead

    Case

    Dead

    Case

    Dead

     January-March 2004

    23

    16

    0

    0

    12

    8

     August-October 2004

    4

    4

    0

    0

    5

    4

     December 2004-April 2005

    41

    16

    3

    3

    0

    0

     Summary

    68

    36

    3

    3

     17

    12

    *Patient definition:

    1. Suspected : Individual who has body temperature >38°C and one of these symptoms; muscle pain, cough, breathing difficulty, or shortness of breath, or the physician suspicious of pneumonia or influenza plus history of direct contacting sick or dead poultry within the last 7 days or unusual dead of poultry in the village within the last 14 days,
    2. Probable : suspected case with preliminary laboratory result of influenza A infection but strain not known either human or avian influenza yet or respiratory failure or dead,
    3. Confirmed : suspected case with final laboratory result indicated influenza A (H5) of which is avian strain by PCR or by virus culture,
    4. Excluded : any patient who is not compatible with the aforementioned definition or laboratory result proved to be other causes.
    5. Being under investigation : any patient, whose additional data or information either clinical or contact history in risk area are needed before any conclusion could be made.