Thailand on Tuesday morning confirmed infection of bird flu virus was the cause of a woman's death, the 10th death of the epidemic in the kingdom.

The 26-year-old woman identified as Pranee is confirmed to have contracted the deadly H5N1 virus, Charal Trinwuthipong, director general of the Disease Control Department of the Public Health Ministry told reporters.

Pranee died on Sept. 20 after briefly taking care of her deceased daughter Sakuntala, who was also on the list of suspected bird flu infection cases.

The cause of her 11-year-old daughter's death has yet to be confirmed.

Pranee's sister Pranom was also confirmed Monday as suffering from bird flu. She is now recovering, according to the Thai Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyurapan.

Pranee is the second Thai to die of bird flu virus since the epidemic reappeared in July. Her death fueled the fear that the fowl epidemic might mutate and transmit among human.

Pranom and Pranee's daughter Sakuntala had reportedly disposed carcasses of infected bird around their home in the province of Kamphaengphet, some 380 kilometers northeast of Bangkok.

But, Pranee, who worked in Bangkok, had no record of touching infected poultry. Having heard her daughter's sickness, she went back home and briefly took care of the girl.

Therefore, it is suspected that she might have contracted the disease from her daughter.

However, the Thai authorities played down the possibility of bird flu infection among people.

Sakuntala "was a probable bird flu case who could have infected with the disease from chickens which died in her house and village," said a Public Health Ministry statement issued following the confirmation of Pranee's infection.

It said Pranee may have "contracted the virus from the environment in the village where the chickens died, or from the sick daughter who she was taking care of for a long period of time."

An 18-year-old young man died of the disease in August and eight others died in the first round of outbreak started from January.

Source: Xinhua