Laos responds quickly to new influenza virus outbreak

Laos confirmed a new outbreak of the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 in poultry on September 14, 2008, to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and by all accounts dealt rapidly and admirably with the disease, back-tracing the infection to an index farm in a different province. Unlike some other countries, Laos promptly reports any outbreak of H5N1 in great detail (to OIE), but receives scant consideration by the international media.  This latest episode was no different and barely got a mention in international press.