At the boy's funeral in Bangkok's Klong San area, the father said that two weeks before the boy's death, he had high fever and doctors at the Bangkok Christian Hospital gave him medicine to prevent wheezing and coughing. The boy appeared to have recovered and his father sent him back to school. Three days later, the boy fell ill again. This time the doctor gave him a shot of antibiotic and the boy again returned to school.

A few days later, his parents noticed the area under the boy's eyes had swollen. Suffering from weak?ness, cold feet and fever on September 14, the boy was taken to hospital and admitted to the inten?sive care unit the next day.

Doctors said the boy's heart-rate suggested a severe infection but could not elaborate, pending a blood test result. The boy, now on a respi?ratory aid unit, was moved to the bet?ter-equipped Bumrungrad Hospital's intensive care unit at 4am.

There the family was told the boy was suffering from a viral infection in his brain and lungs. Doctors could only vaccinate him with the family's permission to see if his condition improved, to which the father agreed. "I had no other choice," he said.

"The doctors said my son showed symptoms similar to hand, foot and mouth disease - but I remained hopeful that my son would be alright," he said, adding that although the boy's condition did not immedi?ately improve after the vaccination, he went home to rest.

On September 16 at 5pm, the hos?pital called the family to say the boy's condition had deteriorated and doc?tors had to perform cardiopul?monary resuscitation on him.

"On the way, I prayed. When I arrived, I could not talk to him because he was already unconscious. My wife and I had no chance to say good-bye to him."

He insisted his family did not have financial problems and always sent his son to hospital whenever he was ill.