Thailand Confirms Four More Deaths Related to Bird Flu

Vietnam and Thailand confirmed two more bird flu deaths on Monday.

The latest death came at Vietnam’s hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. An 18-year-old boy, admitted last Thursday, tested positive for H5N1. The death toll in Vietnam has reached nine.

The Thai Department of Disease Control reported deaths of one confirmed case and three suspected cases on Monday. In Thailand, three confirmed cases and 10 suspected cases have been reported as fatalities respectively so far. In Asia, a total of 22 confirmed and suspected deaths have been reported.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that two sisters and one brother in Vietnam might be the first known cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus. However, local doctors raised doubts about this possibility because the two sisters, one brother, and his wife killed and prepared chickens at a wedding.

In Gansu province, China, a massive killing of chickens is suspected of spreading bird flu in the region. Thousands of chickens have been killed since last week in Gansu province according to AFP.

China has reported 14 confirmed or suspected bird flu cases in 10 out of 31 provinces so far.

Jin Lee leej@donga.com