A RESPECTED doctor has stood by his claims that there were bird-flu infections in Thailand last year, even after several senior government officials issued denials on Monday. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, who heads the Emerging Infectious Disease Health Science Centre at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, yesterday released details of bird-flu incidents to back up his claim. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha He said a full investigation into the deaths of several animals between August and September last year confirmed bird flu had occurred in Thailand. “The Animal Health Research Centre for Lower Northeast [in Surin], for example, found all 40 small carnivores that became sick or died at a zoo were infected by H5N1,” he said. According to the World Health Organisation, not all avian influenza viruses cause disease in humans but some can infect humans and cause severe infections. The most well-known of these is the H5N1 virus. Thiravat added that he had already forwarded information he had to Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn. On Monday, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach insisted that bird flu had been eradicated in Thailand more than a decade ago and suggested that businesses affected by Thiravat’s claim could consider suing for compensation. However,…