The bird flu scare in the Far East has been far bigger than what we have seen in Europe and in a new development one of the more seriosuly hit countries, Laos, organised an emergency cabinet discussion on Monday to look are the ways in which to stop an new bird flu outbreak in the nation. The government of Laos has already imposed a ban on the selling of chicken in markets and in restaurants in the capital city of Vientiane and took measures also to kill over six thousand chickens and other birds at a poultry farm.

The government of the small Far Eastern country said that many birds had been infected with the H5N1 virus and that immediate measures had to be taken. The H5N1 virus is not easily transferred to humans but with sustained contact with the birds it is possible for people to get the virus and it is deadly and potentially fatal. Neighbouring Thailand has also been plagued by the H5N1 bird flu virus and despite extensive measures to keep the disease in check it keeps on resurfacing. Fifteen people have died from bird flu in Thailand so far and other have succumbed to the virus in Indonesia and Vietnam.

The best form of defence for bird flu is to use anti viral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza. Tamiflu is made by Roche the Swiss and is considered by the WHO to be the better form of drug to beat the symptoms of the bird flu and Relenza comes in the form of an inhaler that has also shown to be effective as an defence against the virus. Relenza and Tamiflu are running low on stockas and it is sometimes difficult to get either drug. At present Ukmedix has access to stocks of Tamiflu. The WHO and many nations have strict rules as to what to do if there is a bird flu outbreak in either poultry or in humans.