Thailand confirms two cases of bird flu

cctv.com 01-24-2004 09:27

A man in Thailand has died of a disease suspected to be avian flu. Thai health officials said a butcher in his 50s died late Friday, but the cause of death had yet to be confirmed.

Earlier, Thailand confirmed that two boys at separate hospitals in central Thailand have the bird flu virus. The announcement has reversed days of vehement denials that the country was facing an outbreak of the disease.

Thai Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuthaphan told reporters on Friday afternoon in Bangkok that two suspected cases have been confirmed as the bird flu infection.

The two boys both lived close to chicken farms in two central Thai provinces. They had also recently been in contact with chickens.

Sudarat said the two patients with high temperatures were currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Bangkok, while medical staff gave antibiotic medicine to other patients suspected of being infected. She also said that there were at least four suspected cases yet to be confirmed in addition to the two boys. This is the first time that the government admitted the country has bird flu, which has claimed five Vietnamese' lives.

The World Health Organization said it will send two influenza experts to Thailand to help cope with the outbreak.

Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Japan and France have announced they will suspend poultry imports from Thailand. Japan was Thailand's largest importer of chickens, buying about half of the country's total chicken export.

The European Union, which is Thailand's second largest chicken importer, previously threatened an immediate ban on Thailand's poultry products if the suspected cases were confirmed.

Meanwhile, a Cambodian official confirmed to reporters on Friday evening that bird flu has also been found in Cambodian chickens.

Editor:Hope  Source:CCTV.com