Flu infections pass 3,000
- Published: 10/07/2009 at 05:00 PM
- Online news: Local News
The Public Health Ministry confirmed 146 new cases of A(H1N1) flu on Friday, raising the country's total to 3,071 since April 28, and one more death - taking the flu toll to 15.
The ministry said 2,735 patients had recovered while 20 others were still in hospitals.
The ministry's Bureau of Epidemiology said the latest death was a 63-year-old woman from Samut Prakan province. She suffered from valvular heart disease, high blood pressure and a lung infection.
She died on Thursday night and the ministry was notified on Friday afternoon.
More than half of the flu-infected patients were between 11 and 20 years old, the bureau said.
"The health deputy permanent secretary and directors-general of all departments under the ministry will travel to different regions to oversee the flu situation and visit the patients," Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said.
He reassured the public that the country would not face a shortage of the anti-flu drug oseltamivir.
The minister also insisted he would not resign for failing to curb the flu outbreak as demanded by opposition MPs.
"If I step down I would be a victim of politics and it would be an admission of failure," he said.
He admitted he was worried about the ministry’s image as the media had reported officials had concealed facts and information about measures to deal with the flu's spread and the treatment of flu patients.
The government had implemented measures recommended by world health experts and academics, Dr Witthaya said.
The Education Ministry will order 2,310 private tuition schools nationwide to close for 16 days to help contain the spread of the A(H1N1) flu virus.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said the Office of the Private Education Commission will send an official closure order to 1,232 tutorial schools and 1,078 language schools, telling them to shut down from July 13 to 28.
"The schools will be asked to cooperate with the Public Health Ministry by cleaning up classrooms and airconditioners and providing face masks and anti-bacterial hand gels," Mr Jurin said.
The examination dates for the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) would not be postponed, he said.
The GAT examination would be held on July 11 and 12 and the PAT on July 18 and 19.
The Education Ministry would arrange new examination dates for flu-infected students who have medical certificates from doctors, he said.
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- Writer: BangkokPost.com
