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| Saturday, 21 February 2004 |
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Deadly bird flu strain found in two tigers, cat in Thailand BANGKOK, Friday (AFP) The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in two tigers and a domestic cat in Thailand in the first confirmed cases of the disease in the cat family, researchers said Friday. "We found the H5N1 virus in the samples from two tigers and one cat, the same virus that has been found in chickens," said Therapol Sirinaruemitr, from Bangkok's Kasetsart University which tested the animals. "This is the first time in the world that we have found bird flu in cats and tigers," the researcher told a press conference. Therapol said the domestic cat and one of the tigers had died, but it was not confirmed they had actually died of the disease. Earlier this week environment ministry officials said that tests for bird flu on a big cat from a zoo east of Bangkok had confirmed a "diluted positive" but that they were still investigating whether it was the H5N1 strain. Meanwhile the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was still conducting laboratory tests but officials said they had identified the H7 strain of avian influenza in British Columbia - the same type found recently in Delaware in the United States. Japan reacted immediately, saying it was halting all imports of poultry from Canada. |
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