Bird Flu Claims Second Recent Victim

[Gaybutton]

Note from GB: The victim contracted the disease in Uthai Thani, which is located about halfway between Bangkok and Phichit, right in the heart of the area in which the present outbreak has occurred.

 

BANGKOK, Aug 5 (TNA)

 

Thailand has registered its second avian influenza fatality within 10 days, health authorities announced Saturday.

 

A 27-year-old man died Thursday of bird flu, becoming the second victim claimed by the disease in Thailand this year, Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat said.

 

The victim, a farmer, was a native of Sawang Arom District in the northern province of Uthai Thani, Mr. Pinij said.

 

He became sick on July 24 and died on August 3 at a hospital in the province.

 

The victim tested positive for the H5N1 virus following laboratory tests by the Public Health Ministry's Medical Sciences Department and Siriraj Hospital, he said.

 

Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, added that the victim raised 16 chickens at his village house.

 

One of the chickens died on July 17 and the victim buried it, without protection, and began to suffer severe headaches a week later on July 24.

 

Returning to see doctors at the hospital three days later, he received medical tests before going home. He returned again and was admitted to the hospital on Monday (July 31).

 

Health officials from Uthai Thani and the nearby province of Nakhon Sawan were sent to the victim's village to contain and control the deadly disease, Dr. Prat said.

 

Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said officials administered the generic version of Tamiflu, believed to be the most effective protection from avian influenza, to the man's wife who lives in the same house with him and would closely monitor her for the next two weeks.

 

The victim was Thailand's second bird flu fatality this year, following the death of a 17-year-old boy in the northern province of Phichit on July 26.

 

At least 134 people have died worldwide since the disease began spreading in Asia in late 2003, including Thailand, according to the UN-related World Health Organization (WHO).

 

WHO has not yet confirmed the two latest deaths in the Thai kingdom.

 

(TNA)--E111

[Guest Hedda]

According to another article I read, this 27 year old guy was put on Tamilflu and died anyway.

 

I did some "non-medical research" on the internet a while back and I'll be damned if I could figure out just where this Tamiflu got its reputation for being an effective bird flu treatment.

[Gaybutton]

I have a feeling that Tamiflu is not all it's cracked up to be. According to what I read, they did not actually use Tamiflu on this man. They used a generic. Lord only knows what was actually in it.

 

From what I have read about Tamiflu, it's not a universal cure. It doesn't work for everybody and it's not going to work very well at all unless treatment begins very early. Apparently more than a week went by before this man even sought treatment, and then several more days went by before it occurred to anybody to test him for Bird Flu. By then, sadly, it was already too late.

[Gaybutton]

This next article is the latest information:

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200 More Chickens Die after Uthai Thani Bird Flu Death

 

BANGKOK, Aug 6 (TNA)

 

Some 200 chickens at an Uthai Thani farm died Sunday, only three days after Thailand's second H5N1 victim in 10 days died from exposure to the deadly virus in the same province, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said Sunday.

 

Mrs. Sudarat said Livestock Development Department officials on Thursday night had culled 116 chickens raised at 12 family farms in Sawang Arom district near the victim's home.

 

Small-scale farmers in the neighbourhood of the latest avian influenza victim--who died Thursday after having contact with sick chickens--had their flocks culled.

 

The agriculture minister said some 200 chickens out of 20,000 raised on farms in Uthai Thani's provincial capital district died Sunday and that government workers will cull the rest of the poultry without waiting for laboratory tests as the situation could worsen.

 

Officials will launch a week-long campaign Monday, to eradicate the virus in 29 provinces thought to be more at risk from bird flu. The activities will include registration of all poultry, she said.

 

The ministry has asked each district to establish a team of 20 officials to be responsible for destroying sick chickens.

 

Thailand is among the countries hardest hit by the deadly H5N1 virus, having recorded 24 human cases (including 16 fatalities) since the outbreak in 2004.

 

(TNA)-E111