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| Sunday,13 November 2005 |
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Toddler confirmed as bird flu victim BANGKOK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A Bangkok toddler has tested positive for bird flu, a senior official said on Saturday, the first human case in the Thai capital since a fresh flare-up of the deadly disease a month ago. The one-year-old boy probably contracted the H5N1 virus from playing around chickens at his home which later died of the virus, said Paijit Warachit, director-general of the Department of Medical Science. His grandmother was under surveillance. "The boy is confirmed as definitely having H5N1," Paijit told Reuters. "As for his grandmother, we have to keep close watch on her, just to be safe." The virus - which has killed 13 Thais since it swept across large parts of Asia in late 2003 - has re-emerged in 10 of Thailand's 76 provinces, mainly in central areas, since the beginning of last month. Three provinces were later declared free of the disease after a 21-day surveillance period. Despite the spread of the virus to Bangkok, the new outbreaks remain far fewer than at the same time last year, when 44 of Thailand's 76 provinces reported bird flu cases. In a bid to curb bird flu's spread, the government has imposed strict measures such as restricting movements of fighting cocks and eliminating the traditional free-range method of raising fowl. |
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