Since bird-flu infections among fowls were detected early this year, hospitals have put 424 patients with symptoms similar to avian flu under close medical surveillance pending laboratory tests.

Results for 373 of the patients are already available. MSD director-general Dr Paijit Warachit yesterday said up to 179 had tested positive to human influenza.

Most human-flu patients were young children and middle-aged adults.

"The information will be a basis on which we decide who should be given human-flu vaccine. Human flu causes high fever, which can lead to convulsions in children," he said.

Public Health Ministry's permanent secretary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot said no patient had tested positive to the virus in the latest bird-flu scare.

Since bird flu first erupted in the country a few years ago, the disease has claimed lives every year. Authorities have confirmed that no one has caught the deadly virus this year up to now.

World Health Organisation director-general Margaret Chan, speaking at a Geneva conference yesterday, praised Thailand for its efforts in fighting the disease, citing a government-sponsored project involving more than 800,000 volunteers to track the problem and contamination risk in rural areas.

Chan said she would visit rural areas in Thailand in her coming trip here soon to

observe how the volunteers

work, said Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarb said yesterday.