Swallow droppings covering town, fears of bird flu prevail

CHIANG RAI SIGHTINGS OF DEAD BIRDS

Migration of swallows raises fears of avian flu

THIRAWAT KHAMTHITA

Chiang Rai _ The annual migration of swallows to the small town of Mae Sai has got locals here fearing a possible outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. Tens of thousands of the birds arrived in Mae Sai municipality two weeks ago. And since then, fears have been growing among residents scared that droppings from the migratory birds could spread the deadly virus.

''They nest on trees, power cables and rooftops in and around the gems market,'' said Kangwan Kudipan, a gems vendor.

''We wake up to the stench of bird droppings every morning.''

And recent sightings of dead birds have raised concerns.

The tambon Mae Sai administrative organisation, however, is taking measures to allay any fears.

The authorities have been spraying the roads with disinfectant every evening to try and prevent any possible spread of the virus and are discussing other ways to deal with the birds.

They have even lit fire-crackers and sprayed chemicals used to wipe out mosquitoes and their breeding-grounds, but all these measures seem to scare the birds away only temporarily.

Fire trucks have also been called in to spray-clean the droppings-stained roads and local authorities have been distributing copies of a manual on bird flu prevention.

Prasit Rawichai, a member of tambon Mae Sai administrative organisation, said authorities are still looking for ways to scare the birds away for good.

Livestock officials from Mae Sai have been contacted to take the droppings for avian-flu testing. Results are expected soon.

Early lab tests of bird carcasses, however, have shown no trace of bird flu.

Chief of the Livestock Development Department's disease control bureau, Nirundorn Aungtragoolsuk, tried to ease concerns, saying bird flu had never been detected among swallows since the country was first hit by the outbreak of the deadly virus in early 2004.

''The birds could be infected with the H5N1 virus and become bird flu carriers, but the chances are very low,'' he said, ''because swallows normally do not associate with local fowl and rarely visit chicken farms, which are a major source of the bird flu virus.''