Thailand's Public Health Ministry has stockpiled 2.5 million capsules of the anti-viral medicine Oseltamivir following reports of the bird flu outbreaks in some Asian regions, Permanent Secretary of the ministry Prat Boonyawongvirot said on Wednesday.

The ministry also stockpiled 475,000 doses of influenza vaccines for at risk groups such as husbandry officials, Prat was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying.

Speaking about reports on bird flu outbreaks in Asian regions in December, he said the ministry is concerned about a bird flu threat in Thailand during the winter.

Cold weather is suitable for the spreading of the H5N1 virus, Prat said.

He suggested that people avoid direct contact with sick poultry and eat cooked chickens and ducks.

From 2003 to Dec. 12, he said, there were reported bird flu outbreaks in 56 countries and there were 258 confirmed bird flu cases in 10 countries with 154 deaths tallied thus far.

In Thailand, there have been 25 bird flu patients since 2003, of whom 17 died of infection with the H5N1 virus.

Source: Xinhua