AFP
PHNOM PENH - Cambodian health authorities have been ordered to better implement a ban on poultry from its neighbours following outbreaks of bird flu in Vietnam last month, officials said Thursday.
Cambodia last reported an outbreak of the deadly avian flu last September, but officials have warned that smuggled poultry poses a threat to the country, where six Cambodians have died of the H5N1 strain of the virus since 2003.
Tens of thousands of birds -- mostly chickens and ducks -- have also been slaughtered to prevent the virus' spread.
"We have alerted our animal health officials along the border to closely monitor for the import of poultry," said Kao Phal, Cambodian director of animal health at the agriculture ministry.
"We have strengthened our measures after new bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam," he told AFP.
On Tuesday Vietnam said Kien Giang province bordering Cambodia became the fourth in recent weeks to detect the virus, with the deadly H5N1 virus found in some 70 ducks that died at the weekend in two communes.
Kao Phal said animal health officials on both the Thai and Vietnamese borders will meet Friday to discuss new precautions to combat bird flu.
Cambodia has been praised by the United Nations for its rapid action against bird flu, which has helped spared it from the human and poultry deaths suffered by its neighbours.
But health officials also warn that the virus could go undetected in the countless small family farms where most of Cambodia's poultry are raised.
A massive public information campaign featuring posters and television or radio spots was launched last year in a bid to educate the largely rural public about bird flu.
Bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003 and there remain fears it may become a far more highly contagious disease that could trigger a deadly, global pandemic.
Cambodia last reported an outbreak of the deadly avian flu last September, but officials have warned that smuggled poultry poses a threat to the country, where six Cambodians have died of the H5N1 strain of the virus since 2003.
Tens of thousands of birds -- mostly chickens and ducks -- have also been slaughtered to prevent the virus' spread.
"We have alerted our animal health officials along the border to closely monitor for the import of poultry," said Kao Phal, Cambodian director of animal health at the agriculture ministry.
"We have strengthened our measures after new bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam," he told AFP.
On Tuesday Vietnam said Kien Giang province bordering Cambodia became the fourth in recent weeks to detect the virus, with the deadly H5N1 virus found in some 70 ducks that died at the weekend in two communes.
Kao Phal said animal health officials on both the Thai and Vietnamese borders will meet Friday to discuss new precautions to combat bird flu.
Cambodia has been praised by the United Nations for its rapid action against bird flu, which has helped spared it from the human and poultry deaths suffered by its neighbours.
But health officials also warn that the virus could go undetected in the countless small family farms where most of Cambodia's poultry are raised.
A massive public information campaign featuring posters and television or radio spots was launched last year in a bid to educate the largely rural public about bird flu.
Bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003 and there remain fears it may become a far more highly contagious disease that could trigger a deadly, global pandemic.
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