Bird Flu Active In Kamphaeng Phet

[mouse]

Seems there are 4 deaths and 8 suspected cases in the wings here in Kamphaeng Phet. I do not worry cause it has not been known to affect MICE!!!!. I will try to keep this updated due to it being in my neck of the woods.

This appeared in the Nation oline edition today

Country on high birdflu alert following new case

Published on Sep 28, 2004

The Public Health Ministry yesterday confirmed the second case of human bird flu in a new wave of the deadly disease and announced it was putting all parts of the country on high alert for the epidemic.

The ministry, however, insisted the feared humantohuman transmission of the H5N1 strain of avian flu had not been confirmed.

Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said lab results confirmed that Pranom Thongchan, 36, of Kamphaeng Phet’s Khanu Woralaksaburi district had been infected with the lethal virus.

Pranom is the aunt of 11yearold Sakuntala Premphasri, who died recently of birdflulike symptoms but went uncounted until Pranee Thongchan, the girl’s mother, fell ill and died about a week after returning from her daughter’s funeral.

Previously, the ministry insisted that neither Pranom or Pranee had been in contact with any established source of bird flu, such as infected fowl. However, Sudarat told reporters yesterday that Pranom, the aunt, had handled chicken carcasses at her house.

Previous information obtained by the ministry’s initial epidemiological investigation of how Pranom fell ill contained errors, according to Dr Charal Trinwuthipong, acting permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry.

Over the past week, the relationship between the Kamphaeng Phet patients sparked fears of humantohuman transmission of the disease due to a possible mutation of the H5N1 virus capable of triggering a new global flu pandemic.

Lab results for Pranee are not yet available since testing is complicated by the fact that her body was injected with formalin prior to the autopsy, Charal said.

“Whenever the lab results come out, and whether the virus has mutated or not, we promise not to cover it up,” he said.

The lab results are expected to be released this week, Sudarat said. She added the ministry was contacting specialists from both the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to verify the results.

“The case is very interesting because the patient had not come into contact with any possible source of bird flu except her sick daughter,” Sudarat said, referring to the period when Pranee was taking care of her daughter in Kamphaeng Phet.

Pranom is still being treated in an isolation ward of Kamphaeng Phet Hospital even though her condition has improved greatly, according to Charal.

The first case of human bird flu since the disease resurfaced in July was confirmed on September 8. The victim was a young breeder of fighting cocks inPrachin Buri.

At a meeting of hospital directors and provincial chief health officers from across the country yesterday, Sudarat announced that all areas of the country were now on full alert for the birdflu epidemic.

Every province has been ordered to strictly follow safety measures in both watching for signs of the epidemic – such as sick birds – and screening and treating patients suspected to be infected with the lethal virus.

But Sudarat warned there needed to be faster reporting of infections to allow investigators to reach the scene in time. About 20,000 health volunteers across the country will help authorities educate people how to handle suspected cases, she added.

Meanwhile, the Ratchaburi chief health officer Dr Charuthas Narischat said one more patient on the watch list for human bird flu in the province died last night.

The patient was identified as Suthisa Petchpitak, 16, who died at Ban Pong Hospital where she was being treated following the death of another possible victim, identified as Sri Momtubkhang, 41, on Saturday.

Another suspected case, a child, is being treated at the hospital.

Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul,

Arthit Khwankhom

THE NATION

[mouse]

UPDATE: There are now 16 actual cases of people with Bird Flu hospitalized in Kamphaeng Phet.

I will keep you posted as I hear of it.

I will not be going to the hospital to confirm any of these reports, due to me believing that only sick people should be in or near the hospital.

[Harry Palmer]

uhmmm... no more nocturnal visits to the farm then for a while!.... probably better to steer clear of felines & canines as well...

Cats may carry the bird flu virus

[mouse]

Yeah my air rifle is getting a real workout. Pigeons, Cats and dogs without collars are on the short list.

Actually I am quite worried the number of hospitalized has more than doubled in one day. I do not know the mortality rate.

I will track the to the best of my knowledge, since it is in my backyard.

[KHUNDAN]

Mouse,

Your email is private but I am really interested in the air rifle...

Where can I get one or even a strong BB Gun?

[mango]

Dan, you can get any kind of gun you like from the Wang Burapha area of Bangkok.

[mouse]

Where can I get one or even a strong BB Gun?

Bought it from a Gunshop in Kamphaeng Phet. Forgot the price. Great piece of survival equipment for here. My wife had to get a gun permit though, but, it was easy to get

[medicinebox]

Where can I get one or even a strong BB Gun?

Bought it from a Gunshop in Kamphaeng Phet. Forgot the price. Great piece of survival equipment for here. My wife had to get a gun permit though, but, it was easy to get

You shoot dogs with a pellet gun? Nice one, when they run away and the pellet wound becomes infected, then the flies and maggot's arrive. Very humane. I hope you finish them off properly.

[jakesideas]

Thailand Confirms 10th Bird Flu Death

Tue Sep 28, 7:58 AM ET

By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK, Thailand - A woman who died earlier this month of bird flu probably got the disease from her daughter, a Thai official said Tuesday, increasing concern the case is the first known human-to-human transmission of the disease.

The 26-year-old woman, Pranee Thongchan, died on Sept. 20, and is confirmed to have contracted the deadly H5N1 virus, Charal Trinwuthipong, director general of the Disease Control Department, told reporters. She is the 10th confirmed human fatality from the virus in Thailand this year.

Pranee's 11-year-old daughter Sakuntala, who passed away Sept. 12, is believed to have died of avian influenza she got from chickens in her house. But it could not be confirmed because her body was cremated before tests could be done.

Pranee had no contact with the chickens but did have a "very close and face-to-face exposure" to her daughter while tending to her in hospital, a Public Health Ministry statement said.

"We have all agreed that a probable human-to-human transmission has occurred," Dr. Kumara Rai, the acting Thailand representative of the World Health Organization (news - web sites), told The Associated Press.

The development "should be viewed by the international community with concern," said Scott Dowell, director of the International Emerging Infections Program. The "documentation of human-to-human transmission in this situation is better than it has been in previous cases," Dowell said.

Human to human transmission has been suspected in the past in some cases in Vietnam and Hong Kong, but was never confirmed.

Scientists fear a global pandemic if it turns out that the virus has mutated to mix with the human influenza virus and can jump from one human to another.

Pranee's sister, Pranom, 32, was also confirmed Monday as suffering from bird flu, and is now in hospital in an isolation ward. The two sisters had been tending to Sakuntala in hospital before her death.

Pranee is the second Thai to be a confirmed fatal victim of the disease since it resurfaced in July. Eight others died in the first round of the avian influenza since January. Another 19 people have died in Vietnam and tens of millions of chickens killed or culled in many parts of Asia.

The Thai government sought to play down fears of human-to-human transmission, saying it appeared to be a one-off case.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the virus has mutated or re-assorted. This probable human-to-human transmission of avian influenza was related to a single index case and was limited within a family."

No other members of the village where Sakuntala lived, or health care workers in the hospitals where she and her mother were admitted are so far found to be ill, the health ministry statement said.

It said the improbability of the virus mutating was confirmed by a meeting of experts Monday of Thailand's Mahidol University, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), and communicable disease control advisers to the Public Health Ministry.

"Although the finding of probable human-to-human transmission is clearly of concern, there is currently no evidence of ongoing chains of transmission or risk to persons outside the affected provinces," it said.

On Monday, a joint statement by two U.N. agencies said: "The avian influenza epidemic in Asia is a 'crisis of global importance' and will continue to demand the attention of the international community for some time to come.

More research is urgently needed as the role of wildlife, domestic ducks and pigs in transmitting the virus among animals is still not fully understood, said the statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization (news - web sites) and the World Organization for Animal Health.

First human-to-human transmission of bird-flu. My question is what it would take for some of you to leave Thailand? If there were an epidemic of human-to-human transmissions on the scale of SARS or worse would any of you leave the country?

[siam]

Where can I get one or even a strong BB Gun?

Bought it from a Gunshop in Kamphaeng Phet. Forgot the price. Great piece of survival equipment for here. My wife had to get a gun permit though, but, it was easy to get

You shoot dogs with a pellet gun? Nice one, when they run away and the pellet wound becomes infected, then the flies and maggot's arrive. Very humane. I hope you finish them off properly.

Medicine box,If it's anything like my air rifle,and he did say it needed a Gun Permit,Even the low powered .22s can go half way through a london telehone directory,

My multishot .22 could kill someone very easily from 30 yds,Just aim a head shot or between the front legs on a animal,as that is where the heart is on dogs.

There are some great hunting pellets on the market.

[castelleone]

strange thread though. Are we worried about bird flu and its mortality or are we discussing how to easily execute stray dogs?

[mouse]

You shoot dogs with a pellet gun? Nice one, when they run away and the pellet wound becomes infected, then the flies and maggot's arrive. Very humane. I hope you finish them off properly

Medicinebox; I am deadly afraid of this Birdflu Virus and have had (less than 2 months ago) my son in the hospital with a high fever for no apparrent reason. I saw my Mother in Law die suddenly with a high fever, lost four Parrotts and a Rottweiler, all within the last six months. I have seen a lot of fowl die for no apparent reason yet no one does anything and the farmers are allowed to hide their chickens until the crisis is over.

Well I for one do not practice Ostrich Management. When it comes down to the health of my children and the chance of an animal (which may be carrying a deadly disease) then the health of my kids is more important to me. Now I know there are others that do not feel that way and I respect their views which they can exercise on their own property.

[drummer]

The new numbers are a bit worrisome.... Influenza is the deadliest disease in history. If something gets out that does to humans what it did to the birds I think we are in for a tough time. I'm willing to buy 'difficult' trasmission, but 8 new cases? Well, I'm keeping as little of my money in THB as I can right now. If theres a big outbreak it'll cause a huge mess.

[Narachon]

The mutated virus is probably incubating right now.....People probably don't even know they have it.......It's the calm before the storm......