March 16, 2004

Thai Bird Flu Claims Eight Casualty

A 39-year-old woman has died of bird flu, raising Thailand's death toll in the outbreak to eight, and an additional 21 people are suspected of being infected with the virus, a senior official said Tuesday.

The factory worker from Prathumthani province died Friday after a visit to her family home in Ayutthaya in central Thailand, said Dr. Charal Trinvithipong, director general of Communicable Disease Control Department.

He said the woman was likely infected by chickens in a neighbor's house, where 20 birds had died of avian influenza.

The death brings the region's death toll from bird flu to 23, with 15 victims in Vietnam, the only other country where the virus has jumped to humans.

The latest victim, who wasn't identified, became ill March 1 with fever and diarrhea and was admitted to a local hospital two days later after she developed severe respiratory problems. An X-ray also showed infected lungs worsened her health rapidly, Charal said, adding the woman displayed symptoms of pneumonia.

Thailand declared itself free of bird flu early last week, but was forced to backtrack Thursday when officials announced new cases in chickens from the northern province of Chiang Rai.

Around 30 million chickens and other birds have been culled in Thailand, out of about 100 million birds regionwide.