Prachuap Khiri Khan: Hua Hin district was upgraded from a rabies yellow zone to a red zone yesterday following the death of a 61-year-old man in a suspected case of the fatal virus.
Provincial Public Health Office chief Surin Suebsueng yesterday said the district's risk level had been upgraded after the Department of Medical Sciences (DMSC) examined samples retrieved from the man's body and initially concluded on Thursday that the death could have been caused by rabies.
The man was pronounced dead at Hua Hin Hospital on Wednesday night after he was bitten by a local cat in the district two months ago. Initial examination found the virus causing rabies in all three samples checked -- his hair, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid and faeces.
According to Department of Livestock Development (DLD) guidelines, rabies-hit areas are divided into three zones: green, yellow and red.
The green zone indicates rabies has not been found in humans or animals for more than two years.
The yellow zone denotes areas where rabies has been observed in animals alone within two years while red is for areas where rabies has been found in both humans and animals during the same period.
Dr Surin said local public health officials were attempting to track down people and animals that had come into contact with the cat over the past two months so they could be given the rabies vaccine.
People are being encouraged to receive the vaccine after any exposure to potentially afflicted animals as soon as possible as the virus can lie dormant in the human body for up to a year without symptoms.
The last death from rabies in Hua Hin district was in Prachuap Khiri Khan in 2004.
On vaccine supply, Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn yesterday assured the public there is sufficient vaccine for people nationwide.
Budget has also been allotted to hospitals across the country for the procurement of rabies vaccine, he said.
DMSC director-general Sukhum Karnchanapimai yesterday said the department has been assigned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to examine the quality of rabies vaccine for use on humans.
As for animals, the department has been working with the DLD and the FDA to develop a rabies vaccine since 2012.
Dr Sukhum said the agencies agreed in 2015 to examine the quality of all rabies vaccines before releasing any onto the market in order to assess its safety.
In Pathum Thani, Rangsit City municipal mayor Theerawut Klinsukum said yesterday that the recent spread of the virus stemmed from the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand's doubts over irregularities in the vaccine procurement of the Department of Local Administration.
This brought a halt to the procurement of the vaccine for nearly two years, Mr Theerawut said.
As for Bangkok, six animals have been found with the disease in four districts this year: Don Muang, Bang Khen, Bang Sue and Chatuchak. There have been no reported human deaths from rabies in the capital.
Bangkok was among 22 provinces declared temporary rabies epidemic zones and rabies-prone areas by the DLD earlier this week.