January 26, 2004

Third Confirmed Human Bird Flu Case In Thailand's Sukhothai Province

Thailand has confirmed an additional case of bird flu in humans, bringing the total number of people infected with the virus in the country to three, one of whom has died, the health minister said Sunday.

"At the moment, there are three confirmed bird flu cases" in people, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan told reporters.

A child from northern Sukhothai province, who had been suspected of having bird flu, was confirmed to have the illness, she said. The child's age was not immediately available.

The two other confirmed cases include a 6-year-old boy from central Kanchanaburi province who died late Sunday and a 7-year-old boy from Suphanburi province who is being treated at a Bangkok hospital.

Sudarat said six additional people were suspected of having bird flu, but did not elaborate. "All of them are hospitalized and under our watch," she said.

Doctors in Thailand have said an earlier death was believed to have been due to bird flu, but that has not yet been confirmed.

A total of seven people - six of them in Vietnam - have died after suffering confirmed cases of bird flu, which has infected millions of chicken in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.