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Tourism fallout feared from Thai bird flu outbreak
Bangkok, Aug 1, 2006 Thailand's tourism industry Tuesday urged the government to wipe out the latest outbreak of bird flu before October, when peak season begins for the 12-billion-dollar business. "Bird flu must be brought under control within two months. Otherwise, the tourism industry will suffer when high season arrives," the Thai Hotels Association vice president Prakit Shinamornpong told AFP. Thailand has confirmed that the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus had re-emerged in two northern provinces, killing a 17-year-old boy who had handled a dead fighting cock. Some 300,000 birds were slaughtered at the weekend in a bid to wipe out the virus, and health officials in broad swathes of the country are on high alert for any future cases. Tourism agencies worry that the possible spread of bird flu in Thailand, as well as neighboring Laos, could hurt the industry just as it is rebounding from the effects of the December 2004 tsunami. "Now we have received bookings for high season, which are normally made a few months in advance," Suparerk Soorangura, former president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, told AFP. "If Thailand fails to make it clear right now that the country can control the bird flu, tourists will panic about the outbreak and decide not to come to Thailand later this year," he said. The latest bird flu death was the first in more than seven months. So far, the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in two provinces, including one on the boarder with Laos. The government has banned chicken imports from the neighboring country, which has a much weaker health system than Thailand's. "If tourists are aware of flu outbreaks in neighboring countries, Thai tourism will be affected too," said Suparerk. "Consequently, countries in the Southeast Asian region should join hands and work seriously to prevent a new round of disease." The tourism industry, which accounts for six percent of the Thai economy, has rebounded since the beginning of this year after last year's impacts of December 2004 tsunami. The industry expects 13 million tourist arrivals in 2006, generating revenue of about 12.3 billion dollars. The kingdom was criticized for being slow to respond to the first outbreak of bird flu in 2003, but now is considered one of the countries best prepared to battle the disease. It has stockpiled 1.5 million capsules of the anti-viral drug oseltamvir, a generic version of the drug Tamiflu which Thailand began producing this year. The government has also mobilized 900,000 health volunteers to watch for the virus and to educate farmers about how to prevent it. Thailand has suffered 23 human cases of the disease in the last couple of years, 15 of them fatal. Health experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form that is transmitted more easily between humans, marking the first stage of a global flu pandemic that could kill millions. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
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