Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The bird flu seems to have hit Thailand, too. A consumer group reported that millions of chickens were culled in recent weeks.

Many poultry farmers bombarded the offices of Consumer Force Association to report that there was a suspicious increase in the death of chickens. The association's president, Viroj Na Bangchang, accused the government of having covered up the spread of avian flu in Thailand and having placed the country's economic interests ahead of consumer safety.  

The government denied this, stating that it was probably a form of avian cholera and not the flu virus currently ravaging many Asian countries. The minister of agriculture, Newin Chidchob, assured that to affront the cholera epidemic 847,000 chickens have been killed since last November. He said that the situation was now under control. Moreover, it was likely that no traces of the fearful flu virus were found.  

Meanwhile, according to news updates, the situation in Vietnam is getting worse. The World Health Organization confirmed the deaths of 4 persons, all directly linked to one of the infected birds. The WHO spokesman in Vietnam said that there is no proof that the virus can be transmitted by humans. (MR)

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