Bird Flu experts meet in Bangkok to control spread of bird flu

Scientists from all over Asia have come to Bangkok. They are sharing information on controlling the spread of bird flu, avian flu, in humans.


22 people have died so far in Asia. It has devastated poultry crops. The aim of the two-day meeting is to help Asia's health care professionals fight against the spread of bird flu.


Mark Simmerman is the director of operations in Thailand for the International Emerging Infections Program, an arm of the Centers for Disease Control in the United States.


He says experts from the United States, Hong Kong and other areas have come to teach health care workers from 14 countries how to detect and contain the virus.


'The specifics of our course are to facilitate the individual countries, many of whom have very limited capacity in terms of laboratory and epidemiology, to help improve that, and discuss the issues at hand, and help them work out some of the problems that they're facing in their own countries,' he explained.


The area is struggling to keep on top of an unprecedented outbreak of the H5N1 avian virus.


The US government, the Thai government and the United Nations are sponsoring the meeting.


With ten countries now reporting bird flu in the area, this outbreak has seen the culling of more than 80 million chickens and birds. The USA has even seen a case of bird flu, a milder strain than the one currently in Asia.


At least 22 people have died in Vietnam and Thailand. All the people caught the virus by being in contact with sick chickens.


The great worry is that the virus will mutate in a human and then make the bird flu contagious from human to human. This would set off a worldwide epidemic.


The WHO says the disease is still spreading at the moment among birds. They say it could take years to eradicate.