VIENTIANE, LAOS: Dial 166! This will not connect you to the fire brigade, the police or an ambulance, but will give you all the important information you need about the deadly disease called bird flu.

Care International in the Lao PDR has set up a round-the-clock control room with a toll-free hotline to help people stay updated.

So far, more than 100 calls across the country have been received since the service began in the middle of January.

Care’s Avian Influenza Hotline Consultant, Inkhiane Dekvongsa, said the hotline would also help health officials take preventive measures against a possible return of bird flu to Laos.

“This is a pilot project. People can call free of charge whenever they suspect bird flu symptoms, whether in themselves or their poultry,” she said. (By XAYXANA LEUKAI/ Vientiane Times/ ANN)