New cases of avian influenza have been detected in Thailand´s central Suphanburi province as the country prepares to declare itself free of the disease on Tuesday.

    Bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at five spots in Suphanburi´s Sam Chuk district, where more than 450 fowl has been destroyed, said Nirandorn Uangtrakoolsuk, head of the Disease Control and Veterinary Service Bureau of the Livestock Department.

    Movements of fowls have been banned within 10-km radius around the area and necessary measures have been put in place to control the outbreak.

    "We are going to determine the cause of the fresh round of birdflu infection," he was quoted by The Nation as saying.

    The department was also checking whether bird flu is the cause for recent deaths of large number of fowls in six other provinces.

    Before the detection of the fresh bird flu case, the Agriculture Ministry has planned to declare the country as "bird flu-free" on Tuesday, 90 days after the last recorded bird flu case in Lopburi province.

    Since the infection was limited to small locations, the latest outbreak was unlikely to expand into a large crisis, said Nirandorn.

    He called on farmers to report immediately any case of fowl death to the authorities and suggested disinfectant spray be used to protect their farms.

Bird flu becomes endemic in Thailand: official

The latest outbreak of avian influenza found in central Thailand showed the disease had become endemic in the region, said an official from Public Health Ministry.

    The H5N1 virus was detected in the central province of Suphan Buri in every round of X-ray surveillance, newspaper Nation on Tuesday quoted Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, as saying.

    Fresh bird flu cases have been found in the province and hundreds of fowls have been culled, the Agriculture Ministry said on Sunday.

    The official assured the public there is no need for panic, forno humans have been infected and the virus has not spread to other areas.

    The Disease Control Department would continue surveying the area for 10 days, he added.