Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

[AlaskaDenise]

http://in.today.reuters.com/News/new...a-262507-2.xml

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A 27-year-old Thai man has died of bird flu, the country's second death this year and its 16th victim since the H5N1 virus swept across parts of Asia in late 2003, a senior health official said on Saturday.

The man died on Thursday in the province of Uthai Thani, 220 km north of Bangkok, after having contact with sick chickens, Prat Boonyawongvirot, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Health, told Reuters.

"It is confirmed that this man has died of H5N1," Prat said.

Thailand has stepped up surveillance after a 17-year-old Thai male died in late July amid fresh outbreaks of the disease following an eight-month lull.
The 27-year-old man is believed to have caught the virus after it killed scores of chickens on his farm.

"He buried them without any protection and that's why he caught bird flu," said Thawat Suntrajarn, chief of the Department of Disease Control.
The man's wife was not sick, but was being monitored after she cooked and ate some of the dead birds, he said.

Thailand has won international praise for its war on bird flu since the virus emerged three years ago, devastating the world's fourth largest chicken export industry.

But these latest outbreaks have exposed weaknesses in Thailand's surveillance and public education campaigns, which include warnings not to handle dead birds without wearing protective gear.

Before this latest Thai death, the World Health Organization said bird flu had killed at least 134 people worldwide.

It has urged previously-hard hit nations such as Thailand and Vietnam, where the virus has not emerged in poultry in seven months, to be vigilant because H5N1 continues to circulate among poultry populations.

"Even in a country as well prepared as Thailand, it can come back and you can never rest easy," said Chadin Tephaval, a spokesman for the WHO in Thailand.

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[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

There is a major surveillance issue in Thailand. This is going to look like Indonesia. Only those with contact to birds are being tested for H5n1, but the virus is much more widespread, which is why 5% of seasonal flu cases are fatal.

[Commonground]

Re: Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

We need some details, maybe today some will come out. All we know right know is he died on Thursday. Scores of chickens died on his farm [when]? He buried them [when]? Wife cooked and ate one of the infected chickens [did he also eat the chicken? When did she/they eat the chicken?] When did he start feeling ill? Did he even pass away at the hospital or at home? If he died on Thursday, how did they get results so quickly? When did he enter the hospital - did he enter a hospital?

[Commonground]

Re: Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

Posted by christian @ CurEvents. It answers quite a few of the questions.

Bird flu kills Uthai Thani man, 2nd victim in 2006
Source: MCOT - Saturday 5 August 2006 06:53:05 PM (GMT+7:00)

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=23875

BANGKOK, Aug 5 (TNA) - Thailand has registered its second avian influenza fatality within 10 days, health authorities announced Saturday.

A 27-year-old man died Thursday of bird flu, becoming the second victim claimed by the disease in Thailand this year, Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat said.

The victim, a farmer, was a native of Sawang Arom District in the northern province of Uthai Thani, Mr. Pinij said.

He became sick on July 24 and died on August 3 at a hospital in the province.

The victim tested positive for the H5N1 virus following laboratory tests by the Public Health Ministry's Medical Sciences Department and Siriraj Hospital, he said.

Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, added that the victim raised 16 chickens at his village house.

One of the chickens died on July 17 and the victim buried it, without protection, and began to suffer severe headache a week later on July 24.

Returning to see doctors at the hospital three days later, he received medical tests before going home. He returned again and was admitted to the hospital on Monday (July 31).

Health officials from Uthai Thani and the nearby province of Nakhon Sawan were sent to the victim's village to contain and control the deadly disease, Dr. Prat said.

Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said officials administered the generic version of Tamiflu, believed to be the most effective protection from avian influenza, to the man's wife who lives in the same house with him and would closely monitor her for the next two weeks.

[Theresa42]

Re: Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

Some more details on the 2nd bf case ... and sounds like they're still not sure whether or not the 9 yr old from Lop Buri had bf....

Machine-translated from Thai:

Thailand find patient test bird flu case 2 in year this
โดย ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ 5 สิงหาคม 2549 15:36 น.

Ministry of Public Health announce name patient bird flu [?] number 2 in year 2549 is man 27 year place province Uthai Thani lose life at date 3 August result check confirm by laboratory go out when noon this appear infected with bird flu send unit doctor transfer immediately all center and province down area in order that control disease succeed urgent.

Mr. [name] in charge minister administer Ministry of Public Health say that in today (5 August) Ministry of Public Health announce name patient bird flu [?] 2 in country year 2549 after find case first place province Phichit when date 26 July patient bird flu aforementioned is man age 27 year live place Baan Toong PatTaNaa(?) recently place 20 [?] Kieow district Sa Waang Aa Rom province Uthai Thani start sick when date 24 July lose life when date 3 August time 06.58 o'clock place hospital Uthai Thani result check confirm by bird flu H5N1 order every province watch/guard carefully patients method strict thoroughly 24 hours.

[Name] deputy chief Ministry of Public Health say that place home dead person case this [?] chicken 16 bodies chicken fixed first when date 17 July and take chicken bury start there is symptoms have a headache when date 24 July buy oral medicine only find doctor place hospital Sa Waang Aa Rom when date 27 July doctor [?] lung result normal have a temperature low result check also group test result negative follow symptoms continually afterwards return date 30 July return find doctor because symptoms tight chest nauseated vomit have a temperature high moderately therefore admit body keep sleep hospital in date 31 July [?] lung repeatedly find pneumonia give a prescription resist virus Tamiflu and subsequently submit come also hospital Uthai Thani doctor can testify look after closely sleep to be at in room separate special afterwards uncle collapse down and lose life when date 3 August.

"Ministry of Public Health command doctor [name] person go on a tour of inspection Ministry of Public Health that take care area together with doctor [name] public health [?] down order in area in order that control protect spread/outbreak of bird flu in persons and send division investigate transfer immediately from institute epidemiology office control protect disease area 8 province Nakhon Sawan and from province Uthai Thani go control disease in village Toong Pat Ta Naa(?) [?] Kieow district Sa Waang Aa Rom completely" say [name].

Field [name] director-general department control disease say that in today department control disease can work investigate control disease place village of dead person in home there is person live together home only one person is [?] medicine get eat medicine against virus Tamiflu already and will follow symptoms continually more 14 days.

However ask for inform warn people nationwide do not be careless forbid use empty handed catch carcass poultry or poultry that sick strictly must wear glove or plastic bag prevent keep always important do not bring poultry in symptoms listless [?] lethargic come eat regard as poultry sick unusual and risk is bird flu because person will infected with disease from poultry that sick because contact with excrement urine nasal discharge saliva feathers blood and organs all in body animal risk infected with will highest when touch and butcher poultry that infected with virus will catch come with hand and reach body by mouth nose or eye can.

For case of child 9 province Lop Buri that lose life from lung inflame severe from virus influenza when date 3 August last and people not dare go attend ceremony corpse because fear contact a disease that [name] say that people can go attend ceremony corpse irrespective of will lose life from cause any no matter because virus not spread by corpse and to be no dissemination by smoke cremate certainly because virus will be correct destroy from heat absolutely because of that must wrap corpse case this is special case because is patient location in scope watch/guard carefully bird flu of Ministry of Public Health which before lose life also stay among wait for result check confirm by laboratory Dept. of Medical Science therefore must perform method cautious most be in line with method safeguard control disease however assure that not lose life from bird flu because Ministry of Public Health will send staff enter information understanding with people place group 8 district Yaang Maak district Kohk JayRin province Lop Buri continually.

http://www.manager.co.th/QOL/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9490000099755&Keyword=%e4%a2%e9%cb%c7%d1%b4%b9%a1

[Gaby]

Bird flu kills Thai man, second death this year

CONFLICTING DATA OVER 2nd BIRD FLU FATALITY
August 6, 2006 (The Nation)

The Public Health Ministry on Saturday (Aug 5) confirmed the second human death from the bird-flu virus this year. The announcement has revealed a discrepancy in information coming from the ministry and the Department of Livestock Development (DLD).

Pinij Charusombat, the Public Health Minister, on Saturday announced that a 27-year-old man from Uthai Thani's Sawang Arom district who died on Thursday was killed by the H5N1 virus. The announcement was based on the results of laboratory tests conducted by the Medical Science Department and Siriraj Hospital.

It was the second instance of a human confirmed case in an area where the DLD's laboratory tests showed chickens had tested negative for the virus.

"We are doubtful. We don't understand how people can be infected with the virus when our lab tests showed chickens there were not infected with H5N1," said Nirundorn Aungtrakulsook, director of the DLD's Animal Epidemic Control and Veterinary Division.

The DLD was still insisting that Nong Bua Lamphu's Na Klang sub-district and Phichit's Bang Mun Nak district were the only two areas in the country where the virus had been detected in chickens.

The department also said that chickens in Phichit's Thab Khlo district - where the first human case this year was confirmed - were negative to the virus.

The DLD's director general, Yukol Limlamthong, insisted that the whole province of Uthai Thani was clear of the virus.

Nirundorn said there were no reports about mysterious deaths of chickens in Uthai Thani's Sawang Arom district. He claimed that livestock officials in the province had been informed about the death of three chickens in a house there last month and they collected the bodies for tests, which proved negative.

He said livestock officials visited the same house again on Thursday after learning about the culling of seven more chickens. These were also tested and again, he insisted, the results were negative.

He encouraged the Public Health Ministry to investigate how the two human victims could have been exposed to the virus.

Dr Thawat Sunthrajarn, director general of the Public Health Ministry's Disease Control Department, denied making a comment on the information from the DLD. He only said jokingly, "it [the virus] might come from nowhere."

Thawat said medical doctors never rely on the information of the DLD during a surveillance programme for any endemic disease.

"Bird flu is like dengue fever in that they are both endemic diseases and the virus can exist anywhere and can be active when the conditions are right. For us, any place that reports mass chicken deaths with unclear reasons, we assume it is a bird-flu area. We don't wait for the lab tests of the DLD," he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Dr Pratch Boonyawongviroj, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, said the latest victim became sick on July 24 after burying his dead chickens on July 17. He went to see a doctor on July 27 and was tested with a bird-flu rapid-test kit. The result was negative.

On July 30 the man went to the Sawang Arom hospital with symptoms that appeared the same as those caused by bird flu. But a laboratory test again confirmed that he was negative for the virus.

The next day, doctors decided to give him oseltamivir, an anti-viral drug that can be used to treat bird flu, and transferred him to Uthai Thani provincial hospital, where he died on Thursday. On Saturday he was confirmed as the country's 16th victim of bird flu since the first outbreak in 2004.

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan yesterday announced 29 provinces as high-risk bird-flu areas. The 29 provinces are: Bangkok, Sing Buri, Angthong, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Suphan Buri, Chai Nat, Pathum Thani, Lop Buri, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Phanom, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Phatom, Phitsanulok, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri, Phetchabun, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Uthai Thani.

Source: http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?aid=3688

[Laidback Al]

2006 Reported bird flu deaths in Thailand through August 5, 2006

H5N1 Individual Case Report
__________________________________________________ _____________________________________
caseid:403
Country:Thailand
City and Region:Thap Khlo District, Phichit Province
Name:Yongyuth Daengmeesri
Sex:M
Age:17
Symptom onset:7/15/2006
Hospital Admission:7/20/2006
Death:7/24/2006
Outcome:D
WHO confirmed:Yes
Report Hyperlink
7/25/2006 http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...4&postcount=50
7/26/2006 http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_07_26/en/index.html

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________
caseid:404
Country:Thailand
City and Region:Sawang Arom District, Uthai Thani Province
Name:
Sex:M
Age:27
Symptom onset:7/24/2006
Hospital Admission:7/31/2006
Death:8/3/2006
Outcome:D
WHO confirmed:No
Report Hyperlink
8/5/2006 http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=23875
8/5/2006 http://in.today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-05T
131418Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-262507-2.xml

[Nancy]

Now the dead chickens show up in Uthai Thani

Bangkok Post
Sunday, August 06, 2006

Uthai Thani chickens still dying

Some 200 chickens at an Uthai Thani farm died Sunday, only three days after Thailand's second H5N1 victim in 10 days died from exposure to the deadly virus in the same province, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said Sunday.

Khunying Sudarat said Livestock Development Department officials on Thursday night had culled 116 chickens raised at 12 family farms in Sawang Arom district near the victim's home.

Small-scale farmers in the neighbourhood of the latest avian influenza victim--who died Thursday after having contact with sick chickens--had their flocks culled.

The agriculture minister said some 200 chickens out of 20,000 raised on farms in Uthai Thani's provincial capital district died Sunday and that government workers will cull the rest of the poultry without waiting for laboratory tests as the situation could worsen.

Officials will launch a week-long campaign Monday, to eradicate the virus in 29 provinces thought to be more at risk from bird flu. The activities will include registration of all poultry, she said.

The ministry has asked each district to establish a team of 20 officials to be responsible for destroying sick chickens.

Thailand is among the countries hardest hit by the deadly H5N1 virus, having recorded 24 human cases (including 16 fatalities) since the outbreak in 2004. (TNA)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112038

[Sharpe]

Re: Now the dead chickens show up in Uthai Thani

that government workers will cull the rest of the poultry without waiting for laboratory tests as the situation could worsen.

I love these statements. If the results were positive, they would have had to report to the OIE, it would be reported in all the world's major newswires that Thailand had a ..... drumroll .... third outbreak.... Whew...