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This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations. September 28, 2004 What do we think about this? INTRODUCTION

Last Wednesday, the Bangkok Post’s main front-page story reported on the government's decision to ban the use of bird flu vaccines for poultry, while agreeing to experiments on rare pet birds and fighting cocks. In the story, we learned that exporters were happy because going ahead with a vaccination programme could have caused major importers to ban Thai chickens. We learned that government may have to change this policy if there is a severe outbreak of bird flu. The story noted also that this was a very controversial issue with fighting cock owners disagreeing strongly with exporters. The writers, however, kept their opinions to themselves. All they did was to report the facts. To get an opinion, however, all you needed to do was to turn to the Opinion and Analysis section that very same day where the vaccination controversy was the subject of the main editorial. In this lesson, we will read what it had to say. Reading editorials Why is vaccinating birds such a big issue? Has the government acted wisely? What else should be done? The job of editorial writers is to bring up and answer such questions. The nice thing is that they usually do so in a clear and organised fashion. That is certainly the case with this editorial. To help you read and understand it quickly and easily, I have put the key parts in italics. This includes the introduction (the first three paragraphs), the first sentence of each paragraph in the body and the editorial’s conclusion (the last paragraph). You can almost always catch the main and supporting points of a Bangkok Post editorial by skimming through these parts – plus the title, of course. Read through the italicised parts now. Then go back and focus on the evidence the writer has used to support the main points. envy the feeling of wanting to be in the same situation as somebody else fowls birds that are kept for their meat and eggs Solomonic decision an extremely difficult decision involving a situation where there are no easy or good choices opted for chose avian involving birds poultry chicken, ducks and geese lucrative earning a lot of money; profitable in jeopardy in a dangerous situation contaminated made dirty or impure by adding a substance that is dangerous domestic of or inside a country; not foreign or international shun to avoid remote not very great or likely immunity the body’s ability to avoid or not be affected by infection or disease mutate to develop a new form or structure because of a genetic change hit the nail on the head to say something that is completely true or accurate lax not strict or careful enough monitoring keeping a close watch on something eradicate to get rid of ventilation the process of allowing fresh air to enter and move around drawback disadvantage or problem pose to create a threat or problem according to the letter of the law following the law very strictly

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST Vaccination is not an option No one could envy the bird flu committee, caught as it was between chicken meat exporters up in arms over the proposed vaccination of chickens, and claiming that this would ruin the Thai chicken export industry, and an equally large number of fighting cock breeders and layer hen farmers demanding vaccination of their fowls against the killer H5N1 virus. The committee was asked to make a Solomonic decision able to satisfy both camps. That was probably impossible, and the panel headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng opted yesterday against vaccination in dealing with avian influenza. That was the right decision given the circumstances, and the opponents will just have to learn to live with it. While banning their use, the committee recognised the need for further experiments with vaccines and their possible use should there ever be a major outbreak of bird flu. There is no need for Thailand to introduce vaccinations against bird flu just now, especially on a large scale, and for a number of reasons. First off, there is not the bird flu crisis now that there was in January, when millions of birds had to be killed across the country to prevent the spread of the disease. Although there have been occasional, repeat outbreaks in some areas so hard hit by the killer flu earlier this year, the authorities appear better equipped and more experienced in dealing with the situation. The disease has been kept under control. Secondly, vaccinating the entire poultry population will place Thailand's lucrative chicken meat industry in wholly unnecessary jeopardy. Some importers in Europe and Japan have already warned that they might halt Thai chicken meat imports because there is no guarantee any “contaminated” meat is 100% safe. Domestic consumers might also shun the “contaminated” meat. An even more disturbing aspect of general vaccination is the possibility, no matter how remote, that the virus will develop immunity against vaccines and mutate into something far more threatening. In Mexico, the virus mutated and became more deadly. In any case, it has been shown in countries that have vaccinated widely against bird flu that this has not stopped the virus from returning. The World Health Organisation hit the nail on the head when it criticised Thailand's lax monitoring of poultry movements, especially fighting cocks, and the contribution this has made to fresh outbreaks of bird flu, and human infections of the disease. Most fresh cases have been in areas that had been affected earlier, which clearly indicates the H5N1 virus has not been eradicated as effectively as it should have been. This could be because the farmers did not destroy all of their bird stocks or because they did not clean their properties as thoroughly as recommended. Or they could have ignored the warnings not to introduce new stocks before a safe passage of time. Instead of vaccination and the uncertainties that accompany it, especially on the safety aspects, more attention will need to be given to the health of birds. This means improving the environment in which the poultry are raised. Experts recommend a closed system in which the birds are housed in factories equipped with ventilation and temperature control systems. But a drawback to this system is that the birds lose their natural immunity and a single infection can spread quickly to an entire factory. Bird flu poses a serious threat to poultry stocks and to human populations. Greater effort must be given to fighting the disease in whichever country it develops. In Thailand, the lax monitoring blamed for the re-emergence of the disease needs to be corrected. The raisers of poultry, especially fighting cocks, will have to understand that they must cooperate to defeat this disease – for their own safety and for the safety of the public as a whole. Failing that, they should be dealt with according to the letter of the law. • This lesson was prepared by Acharn Terry Fredrickson, BA Stanford, MA (TESL) University of Minnesota, Manager/Editor of the Learning Post at the Bangkok Post and general editor of this programme. Read our other instant lesson here. Return to our home page. | © The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2004 | Last modified: September 27, 2004