The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has dismissed a report claiming that a soldier in Chiang Mai died from bird flu.
Private Somchai Iandoi, 22, developed flu-like symptoms last week and was admitted to Theppanya Hospital in Muang Chiang Mai district. He was pronounced dead on Wednesday.
Sopon Mekthon, the DDC's director-general, yesterday said lab tests of Somchai found he tested positive for influenza A or H1N1 the virus that was the most common cause of human seasonal flu in 2009.
An x-ray also showed that Somchai had pneumonia.
Paisarn Thanyawinitkul, Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office director, also confirmed with the Bangkok
Post that the local media report that
the soldier contracted the bird flu virus was false.
Public health officials from Kawila
Hospital had been dispatched to Kawila military camp in Mae Wang district where the private was based to collect his belongings for further tests. Soldiers who slept next to him had also been put under quarantine.
The DDC says the last bird-flu case found in Thailand was in 2006.
Twenty five bird flu cases were reported from 2004-2006 with 17 deaths. About 68% of cases were found in 2004.
The cases were found mostly in 18 provinces in the Northeast, North and Central regions.
Thailand has been able to implement effective measures for disease control and surveillance to prevent bird flu outbreaks in the past seven years, according to the department.
The measures involved cooperation between the Public Health Ministry, the Livestock Department, National Parks, and the Wildlife and Plants Conservation Department.
The Public Health Ministry has ordered hospitals nationwide to be on alert for suspected bird flu cases, especially patient and health officials with acute respiratory infections or pneumonia.
This includes a single patient, a group of more than two patients and a patient who just returned from overseas where bird flu cases are reported.
