Thailand 7/24-7/27

[Sharpe]

The situation in Thailand is growing more concerning by the hour. Here they talk about three more cases. At the same time, in other articles, they say that scores of people in these districts have developed fever--that they are worried about but are blaming it on other diseases for the time being. They also today named Phichit one of four red-alert provinces for the number of dengue cases it's experiencing. Considering that they probably test for dengue using low platelet counts, something that bird flu also causes--hence the nosebleeds, it is not very reassuring. The true extent of what's going on is very uncertain. Indeed just the total number of suspected cases in this one province of Phichit is beyond me at this point.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/24/national/national_30009409.php

Suspected bird-flu cases in Phichit

<!---- Photo ----><!---- Photo ----> Three more people with suspected bird-flu have been reported in Phichit, one of the provinces listed by the government as an avian-flu "red zone".

Two of the patients were men aged 59 and 86 and the other was a boy aged seven. All three had reportedly been in contact with dead chickens and were being treated in an isolation ward at Phichit Hospital.
Pending the results of laboratory tests for evidence of the bird-flu virus, doctors said the three patients were not allowed visitors.
Livestock officers in the province were stepping up disinfection of sites where irregular poultry deaths were reported. Hundreds of such deaths have recently been reported in the province.
Meanwhile, deputy chief health officer for Chiang Mai, Surasing Wisarutarat, warned the public not to cook dead chickens, no matter how they died.
"The group we're most concerned about is immigrant workers," he said. "They are most likely to opt for dead chickens and risk contracting bird flu."
Despite numerous reports of irregular poultry deaths in many areas, particularly the North and Central provinces, the Department of Livestock Development insists that no avian flu has been detected so far.

[hawkeye]

Re: Three new suspected cases in Phichit, Thailand

Four provinces in Thailand declared "red zones" for dengue
Thailand's Public Health Ministry on Sunday declared four provinces as "red zones" for dengue fever due to the high number of cases reported in these areas.

The four provinces in the upper central and lower northern regions -- Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit and Uthai Thani -- have all together reported 1,187 cases of dengue fever so far this year, two of them fatal, said Dr Siriporn Kunchana, the health inspector of the regions.

"Compared to the other regions, these four provinces together have the highest prevalence of dengue fever," she said.

Source: Xinhua

[Lyro]

Three new suspected cases in Phichit, Thailand

BIRD FLU / HEAVY RAINS INCREASE THREAT
Virus could reappear among weakened birds
By Kultida Samabuddhi (The Bangkok Post)
July 24, 2006

There is a high possibility that bird flu will re-emerge in poultry flocks in areas where birds have been left weakened by the effects of heavy rainfall and flooding, the Livestock Development Department admitted yesterday.

"It is highly possible the disease will make a comeback because weak and sick fowls can be easily infected by the H5N1 virus," said Nirundorn Aungtragoolsuk, director of the Disease Control Bureau.

Falling temperatures during the wet season would make the birds even more vulnerable.

Dr Nirundorn's comment followed reports of mass deaths of poultry in five tambons in the northern province of Phitsanulok, which led to livestock officials culling more than 1,000 fowls to prevent the spread of the disease.

Tests are being made on chicken carcasses for evidence of avian flu.

Thailand had been free of bird flu for 256 days as of yesterday since the last culling of H5N1-infected poultry last November.

Fears of its re-emergence loomed again recently when a number of fowls were found dead from unknown causes.

However, lab tests found no trace of the bird flu virus in the carcasses.

Dr Nirundorn said the situation was most worrying in Phichit, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai, where chickens had died in large numbers.

Last week, the department declared six provinces _ Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri and Kanchanaburi _ red zones and began stringent monitoring for bird flu.

"These provinces are prone to a bird flu outbreak because they have been heavily hit by floods and heavy rain. There are also a large number of free-range ducks roaming in the fields there," said Dr Nirundorn. Free-range ducks are recognised as prime causes of bird flu outbreaks.

Two villagers from the flood-hit Uttaradit province were listed as suspected bird-flu cases on Saturday after eating spotted doves.

Doctors took blood samples for tests. Results are expected in a few days.

Source

[Mingus]

Re: Three new suspected cases in Phichit, Thailand

Archive Number 20060723.2027
Published Date 23-JUL-2006
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (99): Thailand, susp.


AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (99): THAILAND, SUSPECTED
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

******
[2]
Date: Sun 23 Jul 2006
From: Mary Marshall <mary.marshall@bbsrc.ac.uk>
Source: The Nation online, Mon 24 Jul 2006 [edited]
<http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/24/national/national_30009409.php>


Thailand: 3 Suspected Bird-flu Cases in Phichit
-----------------------------------------------
3 more people with suspected bird-flu have been reported in Phichit,
one of the provinces listed by the government as an avian-flu "red
zone." Two of the patients were men aged 59 and 86, and the other was
a boy aged 7. All 3 had reportedly been in contact with dead chickens
and were being treated in an isolation ward at Phichit Hospital.
Pending the results of laboratory tests for evidence of the bird-flu
virus, doctors said the 3 patients were not allowed visitors.

Livestock officers in the province were stepping up disinfection of
sites where irregular poultry deaths were reported. Hundreds of such
deaths have recently been reported in the province.

Meanwhile, deputy chief health officer for Chiang Mai, Surasing
Wisarutarat, warned the public not to cook dead chickens, no matter
how they died. "The group we're most concerned about is immigrant
workers," he said. "They are most likely to opt for dead chickens and
risk contracting bird flu."

Despite numerous reports of irregular poultry deaths in many areas,
particularly the North and Central provinces, the Department of
Livestock Development insists that no avian flu has been detected so
far [see the ProMED-mail archived posts below].

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Taken together, these 2 reports identify 5 suspected human cases of
avian influenza virus infection: Two children (sisters aged 3 and 4
years), 2 adult males (aged 59 and 86 years) and a 7-year-old boy.
Thailand has been free of human cases of avian influenza virus for
more than 6 months. It will be extremely disappointing if the results
of these local tests are confirmed, since the Thai Animal Health
authorities have had considerable success in containing outbreaks of
H5N1 avian influenza in domestic poultry throughout the country.

It is not entirely clear, however, whether the 5 suspected human
cases have been diagnosed on the basis of local laboratory testing or
merely on symptomatology. More information is awaited with some unease.

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>Suspected bird-flu cases in Phichit

Three more people with suspected bird-flu have been reported in Phichit, one of the provinces listed by the government as an avian-flu "red zone".

Two of the patients were men aged 59 and 86 and the other was a boy aged seven. All three had reportedly been in contact with dead chickens and were being treated in an isolation ward at Phichit Hospital.

Pending the results of laboratory tests for evidence of the bird-flu virus, doctors said the three patients were not allowed visitors.

Livestock officers in the province were stepping up disinfection of sites where irregular poultry deaths were reported. Hundreds of such deaths have recently been reported in the province.

Meanwhile, deputy chief health officer for Chiang Mai, Surasing Wisarutarat, warned the public not to cook dead chickens, no matter how they died.

"The group we're most concerned about is immigrant workers," he said. "They are most likely to opt for dead chickens and risk contracting bird flu."

Despite numerous reports of irregular poultry deaths in many areas, particularly the North and Central provinces, the Department of Livestock Development insists that no avian flu has been detected so far.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/24/national/national_30009409.php</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

Thailand finds bird flu, testing for H5N1
24 Jul 2006 11:11:20 GMT
<!-- 24 Jul 2006 11:11:20 GMT ## for search indexer, do not remove-->Source: Reuters

<!-- AN5.0 article title end --><!-- AN5.0 article header -->
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK302025.htm

BANGKOK, July 24 (Reuters) - A strain of bird flu has been found in chickens in Thailand and it may prove to be the deadly H5N1 virus, senior Agriculture Ministry official Yukol Limlaemthong said on Monday.

"There is a high possibility it is the N1 strain given that the area has had outbreaks before," Yukol told Reuters.
Officials said the H5 virus was detected on a farm in the northern province of Pichit, one of seven "red zone" provinces where surveillance was stepped up this month, and test results were expected in a few days.
If H5N1 is confirmed, it would be Thailand's first confirmed outbreak of the virus in nearly nine months.
Livestock officials culled all chickens in the affected area and restricted poultry movements within a 10 km (six mile) radius for at least 30 days.
The H5N1 virus has killed 14 Thais since it first arrived in the country in late 2003. The last death occurred in December 2005.
An 11-year-old girl was in a Pichit hospital on Monday with flu-like symptoms after chickens died on her family farm, a doctor told Reuters. Test results are due on Tuesday.
"The chickens started to die on July 8 and she helped her mother bury the dead chickens without any protective gear," said Sunee Thirakaroonwongse of the Pichit Provincial Hospital.
Thailand was slow to respond to bird flu when it began ravaging poultry flocks in late 2003, but it now has one of the strongest surveillance systems in the region.
However, recent incidents in which villagers have ignored government warnings and handled dead chickens have raised fears that public vigilance against the disease is waning.
The global human death toll is now at least 132 since the virus re-emerged in east Asia in 2003.

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07...H5_Pichit.html

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

Thai Chickens Believed To Have Died From H5N1 Bird Flu
BANGKOK (AP)--It is likely that a group of chickens in northern Thailand that died last week from bird flu carried the H5N1 type of the virus, a Thai agricultural official said Monday.
Officials found bird flu when they conducted tests on the birds after 31 chickens died in Phichit province's Bangmunnak district, said Nirandorn Auengtrakulsuk, head of the Agriculture Ministry's Disease Control Department.
Initial findings couldn't determine whether it was the more virulent H5N1 type of the virus, or the more common, less deadly H5N2 type, he said. But the number of deaths among the chickens indicated it was probably H5N1. If confirmed, the cases would be the first found in Thai poultry in more than eight months.
"I personally think that it is quite certain that it is H5N1, judging from the circumstances in which the chickens died," said Nirandorn, referring to the high number of deaths. "If it was H5N2, the number of chickens that died should not be this high," he said, adding that laboratory results confirming the type should be available within a week. Some 300 birds in the area were culled.
Thai livestock officials said earlier this month that they were keeping a close watch for possible bird flu outbreaks in areas that have been hit by heavy rains and flooding, because the virus can live longer in wet climates. Officials were assigned to help monitor for bird flu in seven "at risk" provinces, said Yukol Limlamthong, director of the Department of Livestock Development.
They were the northern provinces of Uttaradit, Phichit, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai; and the central provinces of Suphanburi, Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi. Thai authorities culled millions of chickens and ducks when a wave of bird flu struck Asia in 2004.
Thailand, one of the world's biggest chicken exporting countries, has since conducted regular surveys to check for bird flu among poultry. The virus has been transmitted to humans who have had close contact with infected birds and carcasses, killing 14 people in Thailand, and at least 133 people in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content...ontentid=54333

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 775px; COLOR: rgb(190,5,1); FONT-FAMILY: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; WIDTH: 40px">

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; WIDTH: 515px" colSpan=5><BIG><BIG></BIG></BIG>Commentary

H5 Bird Flu Confirmed in Pichit Thailand

Recombinomics Commentary
July 24, 2006

Officials said the H5 virus was detected on a farm in the northern province of Pichit, one of seven "red zone" provinces where surveillance was stepped up this month, and test results were expected in a few days.
If H5N1 is confirmed, it would be Thailand's first confirmed outbreak of the virus in nearly nine months.

An 11-year-old girl was in a Pichit hospital on Monday with flu-like symptoms after chickens died on her family farm, a doctor told Reuters. Test results are due on Tuesday.
"The chickens started to die on July 8 and she helped her mother bury the dead chickens without any protective gear

Three more people with suspected bird-flu have been reported in Phichit, one of the provinces listed by the government as an avian-flu "red zone".

Two of the patients were men aged 59 and 86 and the other was a boy aged seven. All three had reportedly been in contact with dead chickens and were being treated in an isolation ward at Phichit Hospital.

The above comments confirm H5 bird flu in Phichit, Thailand and raise the possibility the strong possibility that the patients hospitalized in the area with bird flu symptoms are infected. Although Thailand has denied H5N1 in birds, dogs, and people in the past, the denials have been controversial. H5N1 cas been isolated from dog, cat, and tigers in Thailand.

The detection of H5 in birds will almost certainly be H5N1 and the relatively large number of people hospitalized in the area is cause for concern.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>.

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - Three new suspected cases in Phichit

Moved from Uttaradit thread:

What are the odds of this being the Indonesian RESRRKKR?

Or some recombination of prior H5 with RESRRKKR?

.

[Theresa42]

All suspected human cases test negative?

Thailand bans poultry imports to prevent new bird flu outbreak

BANGKOK, July 24 (TNA) - Thailand has banned poultry imports from neighbouring countries to prevent a new outbreak of bird flu.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan said on Monday that the ministry had ordered a total ban on importing poultry from any neighbouring country to prevent the outbreak of bird flu.

The ban was imposed after some neighbouring countries sent dead fowl samples for laboratory tests in Thailand and some samples tested positive for the virus.

Khunying Sudarat affirmed that no outbreak had been reported in areas where many fowls died of unknown causes, and some weakened and became vulnerable to bird flu virus.

The minister, however, admitted the presence of bird flu after an absence of nearly a year.

Khunying Sudarat announced that tests conducted on samples of dead fighting cocks and domestic fowls in Bangmoonnak District of the northern Phichit Province were positive.

The laboratory technicians have not yet been able to identify which strain it is.

The fighting cocks and domestic fowl sickened and died.

The lab test showed that they died of bird flu after Thailand had not confirmed the presence of avain influenza for 254 days.

The Department of Livestock Development culled the remaining 260 chickens at the site and banned the movement of poultry within a 10-kilometre radius.

Until now, there has been no report of bird flu patients in the area where the chickens died.

Avian influenza outbreaks occurred in 14 locations in Phichit in 2004 and three locations last year.

Meanwhile, Thailand's public health establishment breathed a collective sigh of relief Monday as laboatory tests confirmed that no new cases of H5N1 bird flu virus has been transmitted to humans in recent months.

No deaths have occurred since February last year and no new human bird flu cases have been found in Thailand over the past year and a half, a senior Public Health Ministry official confirmed here Monday.

Director-General of the Department of Disease Control Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn said, according to laboratory tests, patients who were previously reported to have bird flu-like symtoms in many provinces had all been proven to be bird-flu free.

"The patients, including two men in Phichit, were all found not having contracted avian flu, but a strain of human influenza," he told journalists. [What two men from Phichit?]

Dr. Thawat said, however, that more public health workers would be sent to Phichit to help control the situation following an official report from the Department of Livestock Development that chickens in Bangmoonnak District were found to have contracted the H5N1 virus.

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=23580

[Theresa42]

Updates from the Nakhon Sawan DPC from last 3 days

July 22: 15 suspected human bf cases "on investigation". One (1) new suspected cases reported on the 22nd from Kamphaeng Phet province (the remaining 14 left over from previous days).

The breakdown - "on investigation":
Nakhon Sawan = 1
Uthani Thani = 1
Kamphaeng Phet = 1
Phichit = 12

July 23: 37 suspected human bf cases "on investigation." Twenty-two (22) new suspected cases reported on the 23rd from Phichit province (the remaining 15 left over from previous days).

The breakdown - "on investigation":
Nakhon Sawan = 1
Uthani Thani = 1
Kamphaeng Phet = 1
Phichit = 34

July 24: 13 suspected human bf cases "on investigation." One (1) new suspected case reported on the 24th from Kamphaeng Phet (seems to have been excluded today as well) -- 3 from Phichit province. Forty-four (44) of the suspected cases reported and/or "on investigation" from the 4 provinces became "excluded".

The breakdown - "on investigation":
Nakhon Sawan = 0
Uthani Thani = 1
Kamphaeng Phet = 0
Phichit = 12

http://dpc8.ddc.moph.go.th/db8/disease/04_bird_day/up/group4_LmNoJ4524072006.pdf

http://dpc8.ddc.moph.go.th/db8/disease/04_bird_day/up/group4_BQlSTwP24072006.pdf

http://dpc8.ddc.moph.go.th/db8/disease/04_bird_day/up/group4_3wxYT2924072006.pdf

[Laidback Al]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - 10 bf suspects from Phichit province?

Thanks Theresa42 for following this in real time and keeping us updated. I admire your foreign language skills.

The most recent report in english is from July 20th.

http://thaigcd.ddc.moph.go.th/AI_cas...rt_060720.html

Avian Influenza surveillance in human

As at July 20, 2006.
Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Diseases Control, Ministry of Public Health



I. Avian Influenza in human situation 2006

Since January 1, 2006 to July 20, 2006, the Bureau of Epidemiology has received reports of influenza or pneumonia cases in Avian Influenza Surveillance Network from the Provincial Health Offices and Disease Prevention and Control Regional Offices. The investigation and analysis were summarized as follows:

• <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Cumulative number of patients under surveillance are 1,475 cases; 67 provinces. Today reports are 18 cases. Six cases from Suphanburi, 5 from Phetchabun, 2 from Sukhothai and Phichit, and 1 each from Sakaew, Uthaithani and Ayutthaya. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Confirmed human case of avian influenza 2005 = 5, 2 death cases;
  ? 2 cases from Kanchanaburi with one death case,
  ? 1 from Nonthaburi/Bangkok Metropolis,
  ? 1 from Bangkok Metropolis,
  ? and 1 death case from Nakhonnayok.
  There is no comfirmed cases in 2006.
• <O:p>In 2006, there is no suspect case reported.

[Theresa42]

Re: THAILAND [Phichit] - 10 bf suspects from Phichit province?

I admire your foreign language skills.

I wish I had some! All I have is:

http://www.thai2english.com/

:p

Again, if anyone know of a better, online Thai-English machine translator....

[Theresa42]

2 more bf suspects from Phichit area/1 from village where H5N1 confirmed in poultry

Machine-translated from Thai:

Bird flu place Phichit also should worry about discover people suspected infected again 2 cases
โดย ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ 24 กรกฎาคม 2549 18:10 น.

Phichit - Situation bird flu place Phichit also should worry about discover patient suspected infected increase again 2 cases when livestock province announce area home [?] olive flock 11 basically that red back find virus H5N1 in chicken/hen/cock domestic.

Doctor female [name] family director hospital Phichit disclose that today (24 July) receive patient suspected infected with bird flu increase again amount 2 cases be border(?) Thai age 26 year from district ตะพาน หิน [dtà-paan hĭn] and female Thai age 34 year from district village มูล นาก [moon nâak].

Patient both cases suspected that infected with bird flu is symptom fever high cough ache muscle breathe fatigued and there is history touch chicken domestic that one by one die amount 40 bodies and catch carcass chicken too much bury destroy include bring carcass chicken that die come cook/prepare eat later again 2-3 days also die sick.

In order that doctor can collect mucus puncture sample blood send diagnose prove that center science medical number 9 Phitsanulok in order that search pedigree test bird already.

At present can divide patient suspected both 2 cases mentioned above keep in room restricted virus special because task look after from doctor nurse closely which expect that again 2 day will know result task diagnose prove officially.

Field chief people [name] domestic animal province Phichit disclose that can check/diagnose find virus bird flu (H5N1) in chicken domestic that home [?] olive at the present time number 11 [?] olive district village มูล นาก [moon nâak - same village as where the 34 year old female above is from] and where can announce basically place red forbid move poultry every kind because can order design poultry every in radius 5 kilometers spray disinfectant test fowl in area like hurry urgent already.

http://www.manager.co.th/Local/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9490000094668&Keyword=%e4%a2%e9%cb%c7%d1%b4%b9%a1