BANGKOK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Despite an absence of new cases of human cases of bird flu for over 18 months, Thailand's public health authorities will soon launch prevention drills throughout the country, according to Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup, according to local media Saturday.

    Chaiya was quoted by the Thai News Agency that although no new cases of the potentially fatal deadly disease have been reported in the past one and a half years in Thailand, the health authorities still consider the situation as being unsafe because the disease could recur here and in neighboring countries any time.     

    Health officials in 30 border provinces have been instructed to be on alert for the disease, especially in areas where outbreaks of avian influenza affected poultry and human populations, including deaths, occurred earlier, said Chaiya.

    He added that the ministry would prepare for the possibility of bird flu outbreaks and would hold practice drills in at the national level both to rehearse responses and to reassure the public that the government is on top of the situation.