Close watch on birdflu cases

The Public Health deputy permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit, who is also known as "Mister Bird Flu", said yesterday that though there have not been any birdflu cases in Thailand over two years now, the cold weather could revive the deadly virus.

This is why, Paijit explained, all provincial health offices, state hospitals, health stations as well as some 800,000 health volunteers nationwide were told to watch out for new cases over the next four months.

The main symptoms for the disease are fever, coughing, inflamed lungs or pneumonia. So far this year, there have been 993 patients with these symptoms nationwide, but none have been confirmed as being infected with the deadly virus.