The sad news that two boys in provinces west of Bangkok are suffering from the deadly bird flu virus has merely confirmed suspicions which have existed for weeks - the outbreak spreading across Asia has hit Thailand.
It is an admission which, regrettably, Thai authorities have been reluctant to make. The culling of chickens to curb the spread of disease began there in November. But until Friday, when laboratory tests revealed the virus had jumped to humans, officials were insisting bird flu did not exist in their country. Their refusal to admit the truth until left with no choice was undoubtedly motivated by a misguided desire to protect Thailand's lucrative poultry industry.
But it was an irresponsible and dangerous strategy. The government should have learned from mainland China's experience with Sars last year that attempting to hush up the spread of an infectious disease is counterproductive - and will ultimately fail.
The delay in alerting the public to the risk has endangered the Thai people, particularly poultry farmers. It has also increased the chances of chicken exports spreading the disease to trading partners, causing a global outbreak. The Thai authorities had argued that the sickness affecting their chickens was poultry cholera or some other respiratory disease of no known risk to humans. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his cabinet even tucked into a chicken banquet in a bid to ease the public's concerns about the health of the nation's poultry. The publicity stunt was badly timed and misconceived.
The reasons for the government's reluctance to come clean are obvious. Thailand is one of the world's largest chicken exporters. The impact of bird flu could devastate the industry. Two of the country's biggest customers, Japan and the European Union, have been quick to ban imports and thousands of jobs are at risk.
Even more worrying for Thais is the threat that their lucrative tourism industry may also be hit, as it was during the Sars outbreak last year. But Sars also taught us that transparency and heightened public awareness are invaluable weapons in the fight against infectious diseases.
