Published on November 21, 2005

For the young mother of the girl reported to be the latest suspected victim of bird flu yesterday morning, the reaction of those around her added to her anguish as her family turned her away, her boss told her to quit her job and passers-by edged away from her in the street.

“I felt like I was something repulsive,” said the 26-year-old. “As if having my daughter in hospital wasn’t bad enough.”

She said her neighbours had actively avoided her and none of her relatives had dared to visit her sick daughter, who was admitted to Muang Chachoengsao Hospital on Friday with flu symptoms.

In the hospital the crowds also kept their distance, parting to make way for the woman as she passed, “and when I went to a shop in the hospital, I was made to pay for my shopping at a distance from sales clerks,” she said.

Despite being employed on a year-long contract as a gardener earning Bt4,500 a month, the woman also reported that her employer at Suan Luang district office had phoned her to ask her not to return to her job due to concerns that she would pass the disease on to others.

She said her income helped to support her family because her husband’s earnings alone did not cover all of the family’s expenses.

Yesterday the woman finally received the news she was waiting for when Chachoengsao public health chief Dr Wattana Kanjanakamon informed her that laboratory tests had found her daughter was not suffering from bird flu.

“I confirm that no patient at Muang Chachoengsao Hospital has bird flu,” he said.

However he added that as the weather was getting cooler at the beginning of winter, the chances of people catching the flu virus was now higher.

However, despite the all-clear, the girl’s mother is still unsure about her future work prospects.

She said she had received another phone call from Suan Luang district office later in the day saying she could return to work but added she had

still not heard anything directly from her boss who originally asked her to leave.

“I am unsure about what will happen now,” she said.

In a related development, Disease Control Department director-general Dr Thawat Suntrajarn said the number of bird-flu victims between October 21 and November 20 stood at four with one fatality. “No new cases have been detected,” he said.

Sonthanaporn Inchan

The Nation

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