Two boys suspected of infecting with bird flu virus in Thailand

Two Thai boys had been admitted to hospitals for suspectedly contracting the bird flu virus when the epidemic reoccurred in the country, local press reported on Saturday.

The two boys, aged 10 and 14 respectively, showed symptoms of high fever and reported previous contact with chickens in the northeastern Nong Khai province, which reported recurrence of avian influenza in this month.

Blood samples of the two patients, who had contacts with chickens on Wednesday and Thursday, had been sent to lab test and the result would come out soon, reported newspaper The Nation.

Since the foul disease reappeared in Thailand in early July, there had been 15 cases of suspected human infection and 14 of them had been proved free of the epidemic, Bangkok Post quoted the Somsong Rakpao, Medical Science Department Chief of the Public Health Ministry, as saying.

The latest patient proved to be free of the disease was a woman discharged from hospital on Wednesday.

So far, 15 provinces in northern and central Thailand including the capital of Bangkok have reported resurgence of bird flu, which hit the region early this year.

There are other nine provinces were on watching list under strict surveillance.

Eight people died for contracting bird flu virus during the first round of the disease outbreak in Thailand.

With the epidemic reappeared in the region, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared it would hold a three-day workshop in Bangkok next week to initiate a diagnostic and surveillance network in Southeast Asia.