Boy dies of bird flu in Thailand
 

Friday (AFP)

A five-year-old boy has died of bird flu in central Thailand, marking the country's 14th death from the H5N1 virus, health authorities said Friday.

The boy died Wednesday in a hospital in Ongkharak district of Nakhon Nayok province, a senior health ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a press conference by Health Minister Pinit Jarusombat.

"The laboratory tests results came out Thursday, confirming that he had H5N1," the official said.

Fourteen of the boy's relatives had been placed under surveillance, she added. Thailand has made strides in curbing the disease, recruiting 900,000 volunteers to monitor for any outbreaks and beginning to produce its own version of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

But it has nonetheless struggled to eradicate the disease, which began to again infect humans in late October.

The winter months are considered the most dangerous for bird flu.

The latest death marks the 22nd confirmed case of bird flu in Thailand since the H5N1 virus was first detected here nearly two years ago.

More than 63 million chicken, ducks and other poultry have died from the virus or been culled.