Laotian girl, 15, dies of bird flu
A 15-year-old Laotian girl died from bird-flu at a hospital in Nong Khai on Wednesday, becoming the second Laotian to die from the H5N1 virus.
Nong Khai public health chief Dr Itthipol Sungkhaeng said the girl identified only as "Namfon" had succumbed to avian flu at 7pm on Wednesday. Itthipol said he had contacted Laotian authorities and Namfon's family, and had arranged a cremation ceremony for the girl yesterday afternoon. Namfon's mother told reporters at the funeral that the teen had been her only child. The family lived in Dong Sa-ard village in Sisatthanat and the girl had been attending high school in Vientiane. She developed flu-like symptoms on February 10 and the family sent her to Chetthatirat Hospital on February 15. She was transferred to Nong Khai Hospital on Feb 17. Vientiane deputy chief for public health Dr Khamtan Buapaiwan said there had been many poultry deaths in the girl's village. Laotian authorities had designated Sisatthanat and Chai Chettha, which covered 20 villages, a red-alert zone for bird flu. Officials were dispatched to spray disinfectant, cull poultry, educate villagers and look for those with symptoms. No more cases have been detected so far. Khamtan said the death of Namfon followed another case last week in Phone Hong. Meanwhile, newly appointed Public Health deputy minister Morakot Kornkasem yesterday presided over a flu epidemic drill under the code name "Flu '07" at the Public Health Ministry. He noted that the World Health Organisation reported that from 2003 to last month there were 270 confirmed bird-flu patients worldwide and that 60 per cent, or 164, had died. Morakot said Thailand had 25 confirmed bird-flu patients and 68 per cent of them, or 17, had died. Although no bird-flu cases had been found this year, he said authorities must be vigilant. The Nation Nong Khai
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