Import of poultry from Cambodia suspended over bird flu concerns

Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development has ordered the suspension of the import of poultry from Cambodia for 90 days, with immediate effect, out of concern over the spread of bird flu in the neighbouring country.

Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, the department’s director-general, said that animal health organisations have reported an outbreak of the H5N1 variant of bird flu in Cambodia and the virus tends to spread rapidly.

He said that Thailand has already stopped importing live poultry from other ASEAN countries and that the same measure is applied to Cambodia.

By late last month, bird flu had already claimed 13 lives in Cambodia, including a six-year-old boy who reportedly ate meat from a dead chicken he found and took home to cook.