BANGKOK, May 13 (UPI) -- The virulent bird flu that raised fears of a human pandemic has been largely snuffed out in Southeast Asia where it claimed its first victims.
"In Thailand and Vietnam, we've had the most fabulous success stories," said Dr. David Nabarro, chief pandemic flu coordinator for the United Nations.
Vietnam, which has had almost half of the human cases of A(H5N1) flu in the world, has not seen a single case in humans or a single outbreak in poultry this year, The New York Times reported.
Thailand -- the second-hardest-hit nation until Indonesia recently passed it -- has not had a human case in nearly a year, and has not had a case in poultry in six months.
Nabarro and other officials warn that it would be highly premature to declare any sort of victory. The virus has moved rapidly across continents and is still rampaging in Myanmar, Indonesia and other countries nearby.
The sudden success in the former epicenter of the epidemic is proof that aggressive measures like killing infected chickens, inoculating healthy ones, protecting domestic flocks and educating farmers can work, even in very poor countries, the Times said.
