Thailand livestock officials have gone on high alert over reports out of China that a woman died of bird flu.
Department of Livestock Development Director-General Sorravis Thaneto said Friday the Chinese government announced that a 54-year-old woman from Sichuan Province has died from the H5N6 influenza virus on Nov. 23.
The recent announcement came amid recent reports by the World Organization for Animal Health revealing that the number of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza infection cases has risen continuously since January, with 61 patients found infected with the H5N6 virus this year.
The department is currently delaying the import and export of animals from infected countries in order to prevent the virus from spreading into the country.
The director-general assures that there are no reports of any bird flu infections in both humans and animals. However, the department has instructed officials to keep a close watch on livestock along the border provinces and maintain preventive measures in their respective areas.
Sorravis also requested farmers' assistance to closely monitor the health of their animals. He asks people to immediately notify officials if they found abnormal symptoms or deaths so that authorities could provide immediate assistance.