- Title: THAILAND: TEN ASIAN COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY BIRD FLU ATTEND CONFERENCE IN BANGKOK.
- Date: 28th January 2004
- Summary: (W5) BANGKOK, THAILAND (JANUARY 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS: OF EMERGENCY BIRD FLU SUMMIT, DELEGATIONS FROM VIETNAM, SINGAPORE, JAPAN, MALAYSIA (6 SHOTS) 0.45 2. MV: NEWS BRIEFING WITH THAILAND'S CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN JAKRAPOB PENKAIR. 0.52 3. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) THAI CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN JAKRAPOB PENKAIR SAYING "The most appropriate word is 'screw-up'. Some agency screwed up in Thailand. But right now, before punishing people, chicken have to be contained first. And lives have to be saved first, before people are going to be punished. Many people know right now how underqualified they are at their jobs. But it is not what to do right now, because if we do it right now, it would look like we are looking for scapegoats. So the cover-up, it's merely inefficiency that needs to be reformed." 1.31 4. WS: BRIEFING. 1.37 5. WS/EXTERIOR: BUILDING EXTERIOR. 1.41 6. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, WELFARE AND FOOD, DR. E.K YEOH SAYING "The mainland authorities are very concerned and have a very, very close and active surveillance system of what's actually happening in the other provinces. We also agreed that we should strengthen the notification system of any outbreaks of unusual infections in animals, and in birds, in the mainland and in Hong Kong. And as a first step we agreed to have a liaison person on both the side of the mainland and Hong Kong so that we are able to update one another on the exact situation in both territories." 2.19 7. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHO SPOKESMAN PETER CORDINGLEY SAYING "Doing enough? We don't know whether anybody is doing enough, because this virus is moving at quite a speed. But they're doing a lot. Whether it'll stop it, we don't know yet, it's too soon to say." 2.29 8. WS/INTERIOR: MEETING. 2.35 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) THAI FOREIGN MINISTER AND CHAIRMAN OF MEETING, SURAKIART SATHIRATHAI, SAYING "Countries shared information and experiences in dealing with avian flu and the measures that each of us has so far taken to address the situation. Transparency, promptness and coordination at the national, regional and international levels were recognised as essential. Daily contact and information exchange among countries concerned and also with international organisations was encouraged." 3.12 10. PAN: DELEGATES LISTENING. 3.23 11. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURAKIART SATHIRATHAI SAYING "We noted that the outbreak of the disease is a serious threat not only to the poultry industry but also to human health. Containment will require closer co-operation among governments, communities and businesses through regional and international organisations and other mechanisms. Areas of co-operation will include joint research and development initiatives to reduce the hazards of animal disease outbreaks on human health." 3.59 12. WS/INTERIOR: DELEGATES. 4.06 13. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION KLAUS PETER SCHMALLENBACH SAYING "We have emphasised the necessity for the highest degree of transparency on these kind of matters in order, really, to strengthen the co-operation and to help to eradicate this disease. We have been as well very encouraged by the statements which have been made by the representatives of the affected countries and as well by the statement which has been made at the beginning by the meeting by the Thai Prime Minister." 4.45 14. WS: SPEAKERS SEATED AT PODIUM. 4.51 15. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE VICE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE QI JINGFA SAYING "On January 26th, the ministry of agriculture received a report from Wubei Province on one individual chicken farm. 3000 chickens have been affected and 1400 chickens have died. And on the same day we also received a report from Hunan Province that on one family duck farm out of 2000 ducks 1300 died. Samples from the two farms have been sent to our national reference laboratory on avian influenza and the diagnosis is to be confirmed." 5.35 16. WS/INTERIOR: MEETING. 5.40 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 12th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Reuters ID: LVAEH9ONOZKGQ35598V3JO0NUTA
- Story Text: Countries affected by bird flu agree to improve
co-operation to fight the disease.
The 10 Asian countries hit by the rapid spread of
bird flu that has killed at least eight people and
threatens to develop into an epidemic worse than SARS
promised on Wednesday (January 28) to fight it together.
Details of what they agreed were sparse as their task
loomed even larger now the lethal virus has struck in
China, the world's most populous country, the birthplace of
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and home to a vast
poultry industry.
A contrite Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had
to admit to "mistakes and human errors" after domestic and
international criticism that his government covered up the
outbreak.
His chief spokesman described it as a "screw up" in the
provinces.
"The most appropriate word is 'screw-up'. Some agency
screwed up in Thailand. But right now, before punishing
people, chicken have to be contained first. And lives have
to be saved first, before people are going to be punished.
Many people know right now how underqualified the are at
their jobs. But it is not what to do right now, because if
we do it right now, it would look like we are looking for
scapegoats. So the cover-up, it's merely inefficiency that
needs to be reformed," Jakrapob Penkair said.
China is slaughtering poultry around three farms in
three regions where bird flu was confirmed on Tuesday, the
latest of the quick fire eruptions across Asia from
Pakistan to Japan which the WHO says has no historical
precedent.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Health, Welfare And Food said
the territory and authorities on the Chinese mainland had
agreed to improve co-operation. "
The mainland authorities are very concerned and have a
very, very close and active surveillance system of what's
actually happening in the other provinces. We also agreed
that we should strengthen the notification system of any
outbreaks of unusual infections in animals, and in birds,
in the mainland and in Hong Kong.
"And as a first step we agreed to have a liaison person
on both the side of the mainland and Hong Kong so that we
are able to update one another on the exact situation in
both territories," Dr. E.K Yeoh said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the one-day
meeting in Bangkok, also attended by European Union and
U.S. officials, was a good start, but it was too early to
say if the measures agreed would stop the outbreak.
"Doing enough? We don't know whether anybody is doing
enough, because this virus is moving at quite a speed. But
they're doing a lot. Whether it'll stop it, we don't know
yet, it's too soon to say," WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley
told journalists.
The Bangkok statement said that was the right thing to
do and "rapid culling" was the preferred solution to an
outbreak, something Indonesia said it cannot do because it
doesn't have the money to compensate farmers.
But Pakistan fell into line with experts'
recommendations and most other countries hit by the virus
and ordered a cull of all chickens affected by the flu in
its port city of Karachi.
The Bangkok statement promised a regional animal survey
system to be plugged into the health network to make it
easier to tackle diseases such as bird flu and SARS which
leap the species barrier.
Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai said
countries participating in the emergency meeting had shared
information and recognised the need for co-operation.
"Countries shared information and experiences in
dealing with avian flu and the measures that each of us has
so far taken to address the situation. Transparency,
promptness and coordination at the national, regional and
international levels were recognised as essential. Daily
contact and information exchange among countries concerned
and also with international organisations was encouraged,"
he said and added,
"We noted that the outbreak of the disease is a serious
threat not only to the poultry industry but also to human
health. Containment will require closer co-operation among
governments, communities and businesses through regional
and international organisations and other mechanisms. Areas
of co-operation will include joint research and development
initiatives to reduce the hazards of animal disease
outbreaks on human health."
The great fear is that the H5N1 avian flu virus might
mate with human influenza and unleash a pandemic among
people with no immunity to it.
So far, there is no evidence of transmission between
people. Infected humans are believed to have caught the
virus directly from birds. But experts say no matter how
remote the possibility, every outbreak shortens the odds a
little.
A Hong Kong scientist added to the fears by saying the
unusually large number of ducks dying from bird flu in
southern China indicated the bug has become more virulent,
which would put more people at risk of contracting it.
The outbreak in China was what experts dreaded most
with its vast southern population living cheek by jowl with
farm animals.
The U.S. government says nearly four out of five
chickens in China, which accounts for 46 percent of world
egg production, are raised on household farms, making
epidemics harder to control.
But little appears to be available to fight the bird
flu, a dilemma similar to the early stages of the fight
against the SARS epidemic.
There are no vaccines for it because the bird flu virus
has mutated since first crossing the species barrier in
Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people.
Seven of the eight dead were children. No one knows why
they are so vulnerable. No one is sure how it spreads,
although wild birds are the prime suspects.
While economists say unless the virus mutates into one
which can pass from human to human Asia's hopes of a
stellar economic year are undented, the political dimension
of the crisis is also acute for some countries.
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