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Published on November 03, 2005 - Two men died of bird-flu-like symptoms yesterday, prompting urgent tests for signs of the H5N1 strain of the virus. The results are expected to be announced today, said Dr Thawat Suntharachan, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
“Although preliminary tests showed no traces of the virus in either of the men, we are testing specimens taken from the lungs of both, just to be certain,” he said. One was a 53-year-old from the northeastern province of Nan, the other a 31-year-old from Nonthaburi, Thawat said. He added that the former fell ill on Saturday and the latter on Monday. The Nonthaburi man was a road sweeper, who had been in contact with dead chickens, Thawat said. The body of the dead man from Nan was placed in a sealed bag and sprayed with disinfectant before being released for burial, said health chief officer Dr Phisit Sriprasert. Relatives were not allowed to reopen the bag and ordered to cremate the remains as quickly as possible, the official added. Although no bird-flu infections had been detected in the poultry population of Nan province, officials went on high alert yesterday. The man, who succumbed to avian-influenza-like symptoms, had been raising some 30 roosters in his backyard, although none of the birds have so far died, Phisit said. At least 38 people with bird flu-like symptoms were added yesterday to the Public Health Ministry’s list of cases subject to investigation, Thawat said. Duangkamon Sajirawatanakul, |