Man dies of bird flu – Thailand’s first human case in seven months
A man has died of bird flu in Thailand, the world’s fourth-largest poultry exporter. This announcement followed the news that Thailand’s eight-month bird flu-free status ended with a fresh outbreak of H5NI virus in the northern province of Phichit on 24 July.
The man who died was from Phetchabun province, about 350 kilometers north of Bangkok, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters in Bangkok. Part of the province has been declared a “red zone” – the highest level of H5N1 alert, Thaksin said.
Thailand’s health ministry had 18 human bird flu cases, including two in Phichit, under surveillance as of July 20, the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases said on its Web site. Six other cases were from Suphanburi, five from Phetchabun, two from Sukhothai, and one each from Sakaew, Uthaithani and Ayutthaya, it said.
The virus was first reported in Thai poultry in January 2004 and killed 14 people in the Southeast Asian nation over the following 23 months.
Thailand’s health ministry had 18 human bird flu cases, including two in Phichit, under surveillance as of July 20, the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases said on its Web site. Six other cases were from Suphanburi, five from Phetchabun, two from Sukhothai, and one each from Sakaew, Uthaithani and Ayutthaya, it said.
The virus was first reported in Thai poultry in January 2004 and killed 14 people in the Southeast Asian nation over the following 23 months.
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