Thailand - H1N1 - 153 deaths

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

More on the second

The Thai government Tuesday confirmed that two cases of influenza A H1N1 have been detected in the kingdom, both patients had caught the virus while in Mexico.

Lab results from the Centre for Disease Control in the United States had confirmed the A(H1N1) virus in samples from two suspected swine-flu patients from Thailand, Thai Health Minister Wittaya Geowparadai told a press conference.

"Both patients caught the virus is Mexico," Wittaya said.

The first patient, a 42-year-old Thai woman who visited Mexico last month on a seminar, was admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital last month after showing flu-like symptoms. Health authorities initially said the woman was only suffering from human flu, but lab tests from the US proved them wrong.

The second suspected case was announced on Saturday, and confirmed by US lab results Tuesday. "Both patients have been given anti-viral drugs and have fully recovered," Wittaya said.

He added that people who had some in close contact with the two patients had been put under quarantine and given anti-viral drugs.

Thailand has imposed a host of preventative measures against the spread of A H1N1, including planting heat-seeking devices at the country's main international airports to detect arrivals suffering from fever. The country has a stockpile of 1.32 million tablets of oseltamivir and the health ministry Tuesday asked for an extra budget to buy enough raw materials to locally produce another 2 million oseltamivir tablets.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...confirms-two-cases-of-swine-flu--summary.html

 

[nomadic wench]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Can I interrupt a second and ask about Dr Niman's graph. Those "could not be sub-typed" A viruses... could they be the first mutations of H1N1? Suddenly 5 at the bottom.

 

[HenryN]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Can I interrupt a second and ask about Dr Niman's graph. Those "could not be sub-typed" A viruses... could they be the first mutations of H1N1?

No. That column just represents a testing backlog. 97% of "could not be sub-typed" are subsequently sub-typed as swine H1N1 (see table, which has updated data showing swine H1N1 increasing as "untypable" decreases).
The CDC data are close to "real time".

 

[nomadic wench]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Ah, thank you.

 

[HenryN]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Ah, thank you.

Here is the data from the original report

<TABLE class=table border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 align=center><TBODY><TR><TH width=225 align=left></TH><TH width=150 noWrap align=middle>Week 17</TH></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left>No. of specimens tested</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle>14,330</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left>No. of positive specimens (%)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle>1,892 (13.2%)</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 align=left>Positive specimens by type/subtype</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> Influenza A</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle>1,572 (83.1%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> A (H1)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle> 334 (21.3%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> A (H3)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle> 300 (19.1%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> A (unsubtyped)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle> 308 (19.6%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> A (could not be subtyped)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle> 304 (19.3%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=225 align=left> A (novel influenza H1N1)</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle> 326 (20.7%)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=220 align=left> Influenza B</TD><TD width=150 noWrap align=middle>320 (16.9%)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[HenryN]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Here's the updated data (as of today)
<TABLE border=1><TBODY><TR><TD headers=header1 align=right>17 </TD><TD headers=header2 align=right>370 </TD><TD headers=header4 align=right>524 </TD><TD headers=header3 align=right>343 </TD><TD headers=header5 align=right>259 </TD><TD headers=header4 align=right>269 </TD><TD headers=header5 align=right>338 </TD><TD headers=header6 align=right>14928 </TD><TD headers=header7 align=right>14.09 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Novel H1N1 rose from 326 to 524, while "could not be subtyped" fell from 304 to 259 (and specimens tested rose from 14,330 to 14,928).

 

[HenryN]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

More on the second

The Thai government Tuesday confirmed that two cases of influenza A H1N1 have been detected in the kingdom, both patients had caught the virus while in Mexico.

Lab results from the Centre for Disease Control in the United States had confirmed the A(H1N1) virus in samples from two suspected swine-flu patients from Thailand, Thai Health Minister Wittaya Geowparadai told a press conference.

"Both patients caught the virus is Mexico," Wittaya said.

The first patient, a 42-year-old Thai woman who visited Mexico last month on a seminar, was admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital last month after showing flu-like symptoms. Health authorities initially said the woman was only suffering from human flu, but lab tests from the US proved them wrong.

The second suspected case was announced on Saturday, and confirmed by US lab results Tuesday. "Both patients have been given anti-viral drugs and have fully recovered," Wittaya said.

He added that people who had some in close contact with the two patients had been put under quarantine and given anti-viral drugs.

Thailand has imposed a host of preventative measures against the spread of A H1N1, including planting heat-seeking devices at the country's main international airports to detect arrivals suffering from fever. The country has a stockpile of 1.32 million tablets of oseltamivir and the health ministry Tuesday asked for an extra budget to buy enough raw materials to locally produce another 2 million oseltamivir tablets.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...confirms-two-cases-of-swine-flu--summary.html

The sequence at Genbank came from the 42F based on the location of the hospital

[<a rel="nofollow" href="http://flutracker.rhiza.com">Maps</a>

 

[nomadic wench]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Health authorities initially said the woman was only suffering from human flu, but lab tests from the US proved them wrong.

I see what you mean Dr Niman but the patient was admitted last month. The gene sequences were available on May 9th. Were the Thai health authorities referring to the initial dx last month or were they deliberately covering up?

Did they keep saying it was seasonal flu after the sequences were known?

 

[HenryN]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

I see what you mean Dr Niman but the patient was admitted last month. The gene sequences were available on May 9th. Were the Thai health authorities referring to the initial dx last month or were they deliberately covering up?

Did they keep saying it was seasonal flu after the sequences were known?

My guess is that a month ago they were worried about H5N1, so when the sample was infleunza A positive, but H5N1 negative, they assumed it was a seasonal flu infection. Then when they heard about swine H1N1, the retested with swine H1N1 primers, and when they got a positive, they sequenced teh insert, which is what was sent to Genbank on Saturday.

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Thailand reports another suspected A/H1N1 flu case

BANGKOK, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand reported another suspectedA/H1N1 flu infection case Thursday after a provincial hospital late Wednesday night admitted and quarantined a university lecturer who developed high fever following his foreign trip.
The lecturer of Rajabhat University Ayuddhaya has been to Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Egypt from May 1 to 10, with 25 people travelled with him during the foreign trip. Medical staff are preparing to search for these 25 people to prevent the spread.
The hospital of Ayudhya province, nearby Thai capital Bangkok, has taken the lecturer's blood sample for testing, to confirm whether he contracted the A/H1N1 flu virus.
The lecturer, whose name was not disclosed, is the first flu-infected suspect reported in Thailand since two flu infection case were confirmed on May 12.
According to updates from World Health Organization (WHO), there have been at least 5,728 confirmed A/H1N1 flu-infection case across the world, and at least 61 people died of the new flu strain.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/14/content_11372662.htm

 

[FrenchieGirl]

Thailand - A/H1N1 cases confirmed - 1,289

Thailand - A/H1N1 cases confirmed - 1,289

Another Thai woman diagnosed with H1N1 influenza virus

By k on May 30, 2009

BANGKOK, May 30 (TNA) ? A 52-year-old Thai woman who returned earlier this week from the US and Canada has been found to have contracted the potentially-lethal influenza A (H1N1) virus, according to Dr. Praj Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health.

Dr. Praj said the victim went to the U.S. and Canada with her son and eight other persons on May 13. They boarded a luxury cruise liner in Alaska and spent eight nights on the ship.

The party returned to Bangkok on Tuesday, he said. The woman suffered a fever and sore throat the next day and went to see a doctor at a Bangkok hospital and was found to have contracted the disease.

The woman, the third victim of influenza A virus in Thailand following the outbreak of the disease in Mexico, is now recovering after doctors gave her antiviral drug Tamiflu, Dr. Praj said.

Meanwhile, Bangkok deputy governor Dr. Malinee Sukvejvorakij said her office, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, had cooperated with the Ministry of Public Health caring for the woman from the beginning when she was sent to hospital for treatment.

The patient has now been went to her home upcountry, Dr. Malinee said. (TNA)

 

[hornblower]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Asia/Story/A1Story20090531-145068.html

Third Thai case of Influenza infection

The woman developed a high fever and a runny nose on while still in the US, where she took antipyretics. -The Nation/ANN

Sun, May 31, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network

By Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul

THAILAND: The Public Health Ministry announced yesterday that |a third Thai had been infected by the type-A (H1N1) influenza that has hit more than 50 countries around the world. She has, however, recovered following treatment.

Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot, permanent secretary at the ministry, said a 50-year-old woman had tested positive after visiting the United States for 10 days with her family.

The woman, whose identity was withheld, developed a high fever and a runny nose on May 24 while still in the US, where she took antipyretics.

She returned to Thailand on May 26 and sought medical treatment the same day in a Bangkok hospital.

Prat said her samples had been sent for testing at Siriraj and Chulalongkorn hospitals, as well as the Medical Science Department.



The results of the lab tests released yesterday showed she had type-A (H1N1) influenza.

She had been travelling in the US and Canada with relatives since May 13. Part of the trip was a seven-day cruise to Alaska. After the cruise she developed mild symptoms such as coughing, a sore throat and a slight fever.

"She showed responsibility to other people by wearing a surgical mask while flying back to Thailand," Prat said.

She was given oseltamivir to treat the flu on May 27, after which she was allowed to go home.

Passengers on her flight are under observation as a precautionary measure.

Eight people accompanied her during the overseas trip. Of the seven who have already returned to Thailand, two have developed respiratory symptoms.

The Public Health Ministry took samples from them for testing, but the primary lab-test results showed negative results.

The eight people - family members and work colleagues - are under surveillance by the ministry. They have been advised to stay at home for seven days, avoid hugging or kissing, wash their hands frequently and wear face masks.

Prat said the 50-year-old woman now had no flu, although she was still suffering from a cough.

Thailand reported its first two cases of H1N1 influenza earlier this month. Both recovered quickly.

All three confirmed H1N1 flu-virus cases in Thailand are people who became infected abroad, the ministry said.

The virus has sickened more than 13,000 people in more than 50 countries and has been linked to more than 100 deaths around the world.

Dr Paijit Warachit, deputy permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry and responsible |for overseeing H1N1 outbreak-prevention operations, said the |ministry would hold a meeting on June 4 to propose new measures |to the national committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart.

He said the ministry would adjust its strategy for preventing and controlling disease after learning that the new virus exhibits only mild symptoms in humans, much like a seasonal flu.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Fourth H1N1 case treated

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 31/05/2009

Thailand has its fourth confirmed case of H1N1 influenza but the patient has fully recovered, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said on Sunday.

Mr Witthaya said the 50-year-old male patient, whose name was undisclosed, returned from the United States on Monday night, and he started to have flu symptoms the following day.

The patient went to a local hospital on Friday, and his saliva samples were examined by the Department of Medical Sciences' National Influenza Centre and Siriraj Hospital.

Both confirmed that the samples contained the H1N1 strain.

However, the patient had fully recovered.

Health officials also gave doses of Oseltamivir to five of his family members for five consecutive days.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/144748/fourth-h1n1-case-treated

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 cases confirmed

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/06/03/national/national_30104225.php


SWINE-FLU VIRUS
Health Ministry confirms fifth case in Thailand
By Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation
Published on June 3, 2009

The Public Health Ministry confirmed yesterday that a fifth Thai had been infected by the Type-A(H1N1) virus, permanent secretary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot said.

The latest case involves an 18-year-old woman who arrived in Bangkok from the United States on May 27.

To date, apart from the five confirmed cases in Thailand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported more than 17,410 infections in more than 62 countries, as well as 115 deaths.

The day after her arrival, the teenager developed a slight fever, cough and runny nose, and was admitted into a Bangkok hospital where she was given the anti-viral drug oseltamivir for five consecutive days, Prat said.

Tests done at the Department of Medical Science's laboratory showed that she had tested positive to the swine-flu virus. She recovered after the treatment, though six of her family members have all been advised to stay home for a week, avoid any physical contact, wash their hands frequently and wear facemasks. So far, none of them have displayed flu-like symptoms.

Most travellers tend to ignore any symptoms they might have when they enter Thailand, not realising that they might be carriers of the virus - behaviour the Public Health Ministry's deputy permanent secretary, Dr Paijit Warachit, said would only result in more infections. He urged people returning from abroad to undergo treatment immediately if they develop any flu-like symptoms.

The Surveillance and Rapid Response Team (SRRT) will also keep a close watch on people who have come into close contact with swine-flu patients, he added.

"This would help the country prevent an outbreak," he explained.

The Public Health Ministry will also keep an eye on students returning from summer camps overseas. Dr Passakorn Akkharasewi, director of the Department of Disease Control's Bureau of Epidemiology, said the ministry was also planning to have schools closely monitor students.

If any student appears unwell or is absent for three days after returning from abroad, teachers should inform the health agency immediately and have them taken to hospital right away.

Apart from the five confirmed infections, the Public Health Ministry is also awaiting laboratory results to see if the wife of a 50-year-old man, who on Sunday was confirmed as the fourth patient, was also infected.

Preliminary test results for this woman from the Department of Medical Science and Siriraj Hospital did not match, and new results should confirm if she is infected within five days.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 5 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 5 cases confirmed

Thailand confirms ninth case of Influenza A/H1N1
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-07 17:16:14 Print

BANGKOK, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Sunday reported a ninth case of influenza A/H1N1 infection in the country.

Witthaya Kaewparadai, Public Health Minister, said the latest patient was a 29-year-old businessman who returned from the United States on Thursday and was admitted to a hospital on Saturday morning after having felt sick around Friday midnight.

According to lab result by the Department of Medical Sciences on Saturday, the man's example tested positive for the virus, he said.

Suphan Srithamma, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health said relatives and other people who had been in close contact with the patient have been closely monitored and have not developed any symptoms. They will be quarantined for three to seven days to ensure that they were not infected.

Meanwhile, Dr Paichit Varachit, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health, expressed his appreciation that the patient provide good cooperation on medical history.

On May 12, the Public Health Ministry announced Thailand's first two A/H1N1 flu cases. On Thursday the ministry confirmed that Thailand had the first human-to-human case of A/H1N1 flu patient, also the seventh case in the country.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/07/content_11503421.htm

 

[FrenchieGirl]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 10 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 10 cases confirmed

10th Thai case of type A (H1N1) flu confirmed

The Thai Public Health Ministry confirmed Monday that a 20-year-old woman has returned from the US infected with type A (H1N1) influenza - the tenth Thai to fall victim to the flu virus that has already hit 69 countries, causing 125 deaths.

The woman is undergoing hospital treatment with the antiviral oseltamivir drug and will receive it for five consecutive days, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said.

The Ministry has sent its Surveillance and Rapid Response Team (SRRT) to monitor four people who've had close contact with the woman, he said.

The Nation

 

[FrenchieGirl]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 16 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 16 cases confirmed

Health ministry confirms 3 new cases of swine flu

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 10/06/2009 at 02:19 PM

The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed three new cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, bringing the number of cases in Thailand to 16.

The 14th and 15th cases are two 20-year-old men who returned to Thailand from the US on Sunday.

The most recent case is an 11-year-old boy who has not been abroad lately.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said the ministry is trying to find out how the boy caught the virus.

The boy developed a fever and started coughing on Saturday. He was later admitted to a hospital with a high fever.

Mr Witthaya was scheduled to visit Bang Lamung hospital in Pattaya to check on virus control preparations after two infected Taiwanese nationals claimed they caught the virus while in Pattaya.

On Tuesday, three cases -- two 20-year-old women and a 30-year-old man -- were found in Thailand. They contracted the virus when they were in North America.

 

[hornblower]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 16 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 16 cases confirmed

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/18229/latest-flu-case-raises-new-fears

Latest flu case raises new fears
Boy has no history of overseas travel
By: APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
Published: 11/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Three classes at a private school in Bangkok have been suspended after it was confirmed a boy has contracted the A(H1N1) influenza.

Thirteen other students from the school have been placed under close watch after they also developed flu-like symptoms.

The 11-year-old boy is the second case of human-to-human transmission confirmed so far in Thailand.

He is one of three new cases reported yesterday, bringing the total of H1N1 flu cases reported here to 16.

The student's case has raised serious concerns. Unlike other cases, he has no record of overseas travel.

He is now in an isolation ward.

Thirteen of the boy's classmates in Prathom 6 (Grade 6) have also come down with flu symptoms.

"This case is worrying because he has not been abroad. Also, his family members didn't have any flu symptoms," said Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai.

Epidemiologists are rushing to investigate how he contracted the virus.

Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee said health authorities would focus on the boy's schoolmates while the three classes were suspended for the rest of the week.

Fluid samples have been taken from the 13 sick students for testing. Teachers have also been asked to monitor their condition.

Health authorities, school executives and the parents' association are considering whether to shut down the school.

Two other people tested positive for H1N1 yesterday after they returned from the US on Sunday . One was allowed to go home and the other remains in isolation.

Mr Witthaya also said the Medical Sciences Department was testing about 1,000 samples collected from people in the resort city of Pattaya and nearby municipal areas to determine if there were any signs of the H1N1 flu virus spreading there.

The investigation got under way after Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre on Tuesday announced that three patients confirmed with A (H1N1) flu had contracted the virus in Thailand.

A 24-year-old Taiwanese student who came to Thailand on a one-week graduation trip with a tour group of 57 people was found to have a fever of 38.4C on arriving at Taoyuan International Airport on his return on Sunday.

Another student was also confirmed to have tested positive for the virus.

The third was a 23-year-old female student who visited Thailand during the same period. She was screened at a Taiwan airport with a high temperature.

Taiwanese and Thai epidemiologists are investigating the cases together as it is possible more members of the tour groups may have contracted the flu.

"Personally, I still doubt the three confirmed cases contracted the influenza A in Thailand," Mr Witthaya said. "However, we have a responsibility to prove whether it's true or not."

Speaking during a discussion with Pattaya City deputy mayor Verawat Kaykhay, the minister said he was worried that Bangkok's crowded nature and its various means of transport could put it at greater risk than Pattaya of becoming "ground for germ incubation".

But he tried to calm fears over the reports of Taiwanese nationals falling ill with H1N1 and the increase in infections in the country.

"Most tourists are afraid of being detained at hotels, not of the flu itself. The virus itself is not virulent and [patients] can be completely cured."

The Public Health Ministry will promote preventive measures such as the use of serving spoons, frequent hand washing and wearing of face masks when having flu symptoms, he said.

Mr Verawat urged the Tourism Authority of Thailand to write to the Taiwan Tourism Authority to explain the health situation in Thailand.

He was worried that tour groups from Taiwan might cancel their planned trips for fear of contracting H1N1.

"The tourism atmosphere in Pattaya City is already in pretty bad shape in the low season. We want the sectors involved to quickly build up confidence among tourists so they will not cancel their trips to Thailand," he said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 46 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 46 cases confirmed

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE55A1T820090611

Thailand sees jump in H1N1 cases, many in Pattaya
Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:11am EDT

BANGKOK (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 Organization (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.

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)

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 46 cases confirmed

Re: Thailand - A / H1N1 - 46 cases confirmed

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=417405

June 11, 2009 19:09 PM

21 Discotheque Staff In Pattaya Infected With H1N1

BANGKOK, June 11 (Bernama) -- Twenty-one employees of a discotheque in the entertainment city of Pattaya were infected with the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, bringing the total number of reported cases in Thailand to 46.

Thai Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparada said they were found to have been infected after the authorities conducted tests following a report that two Taiwanese tourists got the infection during their visit to the city.

Among the new cases were four students, forcing the Saint Gabriel College in Bangkok to close the school for one week.

While most of the confirmed cases involved Thais who had returned from the United States, an 11-year-old who had not travelled overseas was also infected, together with his mother.

A British national who was on transit at the Suvarnabhumi Airport on his way to Cambodia was hospitalised after tests confirmed he had the H1N1 virus.

According to the World Health Organisation, 74 countries have officially reported 27,737 cases of H1N1, including 141 deaths.

-- BERNAMA