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Thailand sees jump in H1N1 cases, many in Pattaya

BANGKOK, June 11 (Reuters) - Thailand reported a sharp jump in confirmed H1N1 cases on Thursday, with most of the new infections found in the seaside tourist town of Pattaya.

"We found 30 cases today, 21 of which were found in Pattaya," Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said in a statement.

The latest infections bring the total number of cases to 46, none of which have been fatal.

All but one case, a British man who was detected at Bangkok's international airport, are Thais.

Authorities began testing suspect cases in Pattaya, 150 km (90 miles) east of Bangkok, after three students from Taiwan tested positive for H1N1 on their return from a holiday in the resort town, the ministry said.

In Bangkok, officials closed a school on Thursday for at least six days after five students contracted the virus, the ministry said.

"Thai people should not panic because the information we have suggests this flu is not lethal if they seek medical help," Witthaya told Reuters.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is poised to declare a global flu pandemic after a spike in cases in Australia, where five people have been admitted to intensive care units and 1,263 cases of the new flu have been confirmed. [ID:nSYD482995]

More than 27,700 cases have been detected in 74 countries, including 141 deaths, according to the WHO. [ID:nT236041]

The impact of H1N1 on global travel has added to the gloom in Thailand's travel industry, which has suffered a major drop in arrivals due to the global economic crisis and political unrest. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Supanida Sakultangphaisal; Writing by Kittipong Soonprasert; Editing by Martin Petty and Jeremy Laurence)

KoratCat hat geschrieben:My relatives report, that also Korat does have its first H1N1 cases with St. Mary's school being closed to avoid spreading any further. So better watch out!

Swine flu rears its head again

The second round of the A(H1N1) swine flu epidemic has begun, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said on Thursday.

He said some provinces had already encountered the second wave of swine flu with 30 per cent of 200 students tested in the northeastern province Nakhon Ratchasima having been diagnosed as infected with the virus.

The Public Health Ministry has launched a new campaign, Four to the Power of Four, to combat the resurgence of the virus, as it may spread quickly.

"Health agencies in all provinces will implement measures to limit the spread of the disease during the four months from November to February," the minister said.

"Students, people of working age, the elderly and people with chronic diseases will be closely watched. The ministry will promote four activities to eliminate germs and four measures will be enforced at management level."

People should look after their health and follow the advice given by health officials, he said.

"The government is considering buying 800,000 more doses of H1N1 vaccine, having already purchased two million doses from France," he said.

Additional supplies of the vaccine would be distributed to private hospitals, where people could buy it, he said.

In the first round of the outbreak, an estimated 8.4 million Thais were infected by the A(H1N1) virus - 20 per cent of them lived in Bangkok.

On Wednesday, the ministry confirmed one additional death, bringing the country’s total death toll from the epidemic to 185.