Brunei Keeps Bird Flu At Bay
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei continues its contingency plan against the deadly Bird Flu making inroads here with a multitude of preventive measures.

So far not a single case of the disease has been reported here, according to official sources.

Since the discovery of the Bird Flu epidemic (Avian Flu) in Vietnam and Thailand the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources have been constantly monitoring and taking precautionary measures against the epidemic from hitting the country.

In a press release, the Ministry of Health stated that stricter regulations had been imposed on the quarantine of animals coming into Brunei as an early precautionary measure taken by the Agriculture Department. And at the same time the Ministry of Health had also taken steps to try to detect any Bird Flu cases among the general population.

The press release states that Brunei had stopped the importation of live chicken as well as frozen chicken from other countries as Brunei is already self sufficient on its poultry production.

However as an additional precautionary measure, the Agriculture Department and the Health Services Department are also organising a series of talks for farmers and abattoirs in all the four districts to increase awareness and information on the cleanliness of individuals, farms and their surrounding s as well as proper ways of taking care of poultry.

The Bird Flu epidemic commonly has turned up among poultry such as chicken, ducks and birds. It has been known to only transmit to humans when an individual is exposed to the infected bird. At the moment, there is no evidence showing that the disease could be transmitted from human to human.

Meanwhile, at the moment, there is no travel restriction imposed on countries that have been infected by the Bird Flu epidemic but the public is advised not to visit live poultry markets as well as poultry farms while visiting infected countries.

The public is also advised to took after their personal hygiene as well as cleanliness of the environment especially those who have live chicken, ducks and birds around. The Ministry of Health also reminds the public to wash hands after close contact with any poultry and cook chicken food products to at least at 70 Celsius.

The Ministry of Health will always keep in touch with the World Health Organisation to keep abreast of the latest development of the Bird Flu and any guideline that the public should follow to safeguard against the Bird Flu epidemic.

The Agriculture Department and The Health Services Department are also keeping in touch with the relevant authorities of neighbouring countries to be updated on any development of the Bird Flu epidemic.

For further information about the Bird Flu epidemic, the public can contact the Agriculture Department at 2380340 ext 332 or The Health Services Department at 2382023. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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