Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The Thailand Ministry of Public Health has confirmed the first two cases of swine flu in the country but noted that the two patients caught the virus in Mexico.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai together with concerned officials and health organizations at a press conference on Tuesday in Bangkok said that the tests carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States had confirmed the A(H1N1) virus in samples from the two Thai citizens.
The minister confirmed that health authorities have treated the patients until their full recovery and they have returned home.
"There are two confirmed cases of A (H1N1). Both of them contracted it in Mexico," he said.
Sanan Kajornprasat, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister said that the disease could spread rapidly because of travelling and tourism. “Thailand has a tourism industry which puts the country at high risk for an epidemic.”
He added that the solutions were to raise surveillance and search for the patients and treat them quickly. “This flu type is not that serious compared to bird flu which is more dangerous.”
The Public Health Minister said that the first patient was detected on May 9 after retuning from Mexico. The medical team has treated him with antiviral and sent samples for testing to the US.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had earlier announced the first case, saying that the patient had fully recovered and has returned home.
"The US CDC has confirmed that the sample we sent is swine flu," he said.
The second patient had fever in Mexico for three days and was found to have H1N1 but he also was fully treated and returned home.
The ministry’s medical team has followed up and inspected their close family members and provided antiviral for prevention. Recently, the authorities confirmed that no one in the group was sick.
Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to be hit by the virus so far and was registered as the 31st country worldwide to be affected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Last week, health ministers from ASEAN, and its regional partners said they would cooperate in the outbreak of the new influenza 2009 by reaffirming measures to tackle the imminent health threat including sharing information, technology, resources, laboratory facilities, stockpile essential medicines and supplies. It urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate virus sample distribution and technology transfers. However, Burma is the only ASEAN country that did not participate in the health minister’s summit.
Thai authorities insisted that recently, there has been no transmission of the H1N1 in the country but it has raised surveillance on travellers who arrive in the country from abroad.
