Medics play down danger as first 2 Thais die

According to the Department of Disease Control's Bureau of Epidemiology, Witthaya told a press conference that the 40-year-old woman had fallen ill on June 8 with flu-like coughing and a congested nose.

Seven days later she was admitted to a private hospital with a high fever, pneumonia and shortness of breath.

She was given the oseltamivir anti-viral drug for five consecutive days, but her condition worsened, and she died on June 20. The Department of Disease Control's senior health expert, Dr Kamnuan Ungchoosak said the woman had undergone open-heart surgery when she was 12.

Kamnuan said the private hospital had delayed reporting her death to the Public Health Ministry at the request of her relatives, citing the patient's rights. The second victim, a 42-year-old man who recently returned from abroad, fell ill on June 18 with fever and a running nose. He had gone to a pub in Bangkok with friends before developing flu-like symptoms.

He was admitted to hospital on June 23 with a high fever, coughing and pneumonia. He was also given oseltamivir, but his condition worsened, and he died yesterday morning. He had no congenital disease.

The Public Health Ministry's deputy permanent secretary, Dr Paijit Warachit said a 57-year-old woman, treated at a private hospital in Thonburi after being infected with the new flu virus and then contracting pneumonia, was gradually recovering from a critical condition and no longer needed a respirator.

Meanwhile, the conditions of two navy conscripts, who tested positive for type-A (H1N1) influenza, have improved. Despite the deaths, Witthaya asked the public not to panic, saying type-A (H1N1) influenza had a much lower fatality rate than normal influenza, which killed 30 to 40 per cent of sufferers a year.

"Ninety per cent of cases recover from type-A (H1N1)," he said.

He said 1,209 type-A (H1N1) cases had been reported in Thailand. Of these, 1,191 have recovered, and 16 are still in hospital. Prof Prasert Tongcharoen, Thailand's best-known virologist, said pneumonia increased the risk of death from the new virus.

Dr Tawee Chotepitayasunon, chairman of the ministry s influenza academic team, suggested that patients with severe symptoms - vomiting, nasal congestion, a temperature of at least 38 degrees, exhaustion, chest pain and aches - for at least three days should immediately seek medical attention at a nearby hospital.

"Don't panic if you develop mild symptoms of A (H1N1). Just stay at home and take a fever-reducer for a few days instead of going to hospital, because you might be infected by another virus or bacterium," he said.

In a bid to curb the spread of the disease, Witthaya has ordered provincial health officials to monitor any severe flu-like illness.

Meanwhile, Department of Mental Health director-general Dr Chatree Banchuen said his agency would next week conduct a public-opinion survey about fear of the severity of A (H1N1) in the wake of the two fatalities with a view to designing national measures to allay panic.

The findings of a recent survey showed nearly one in four people were very worried.

The poll, conducted at four department stores in Bangkok and adjacent provinces last weekend, interviewed 715 people. "Twenty-two per cent of respondents said they were very worried because they believed type A (H1N1) was a serious disease," Chatree said. Another 19 per cent, however, said they weren't worried even though they thought the disease was dangerous. "A sizeable 37 per cent say they were not really worried as they were convinced it was not a serious illness."