On October 22, Thai health officials confirmed that 7-year-old Ronnarit Benpad did not contract the disease from his father, a Thai man who was confirmed to have died from avian influenza.
 |
Nurses are caring for 7-year-old Ronnarit Benpad, who has avian influenza. His father died last week from this outbreak. |
According to Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director-General of the Thai Disease Control Department, as of yesterday, the boy, who was infected with the H5N1 virus, no longer has a fever and is expected to be discharged after completing a 21-day quarantine.
The boy’s father, a 48-year-old man, passed away last week, marking the first avian influenza death in Thailand in over a year.
Both father and son contracted the disease after coming into contact with infected birds from a neighbor’s household. Health officials confirmed that the infected poultry were the primary source of infection for the father and son, rather than a human-to-human transmission.
Medical experts are warning about the potential for the H5N1 virus to mutate, which could enable human-to-human transmission and lead to a global pandemic.
TRAN DUC THANH (According to AP)
