In Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government has faced widespread allegations of initially covering up the outbreak, which livestock officials may have detected as early as November, to protect Thailand's chicken exports.
Thailand shipped about 453,597 tonnes of chicken worth 52 US$1.3 billion in 2003. The EU, Japan and other major markets have banned Thai chicken products over disease fears.
Governments are battling the virus in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan.
The strain afflicting Pakistan and Taiwan, however, is not considered dangerous to humans.
Officials in the US state of Delaware also ordered the slaughter of some 12,000 chickens after confirming that the flock was infected by avian influenza. State agriculture secretary Michael Scuse said the strain is different from the one that has spread to the human population in Asia.
South Korea on Saturday imposed an indefinite ban on US poultry imports "as a precautionary measure."
Japan has temporarily also suspended all US poultry imports, Japanese media said yesterday.
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