Countries cooperating may be key to prevent spread of bird flu

Thailand to train Egypt on bird flu

Thailand's Public Health Ministry will provide training for the control of bird flu and producing anti-viral medicines to combat the deadly disease for Egyptian medical doctors and related specialists, starting late this year, according to Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health.

Dr Prat has just returned from a two-day visit and talks, which began Thursday, with Egyptian Public Health and Population Minister Hatem el-Gabali and his Egyptian counterpart on cooperation and exchanging knowledge on the disease.

The two countries have experienced the outbreak of the disease this year, in which the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that 14 patients in Egypt have contracted the disease, and six have died.

Under the cooperation plan, Thailand will organise a short-term training program for Egyptian medical personnel and send doctors and nurses to provide medical check-up to more than 2,000 Thai students and workers now staying in that country, said Dr Prat. (TNA)