Thai teenager dies of bird flu
This is the first human death after seven months of the absence of the H5N1 virus in the country. Yesterday a new outbreak was discovered in a clandestine bird
Thailand says a 16-year-old boy has died of bird flu, making him the country's first fatality from the virus in more than seven months.
Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, says the boy died in Phetchabun province.
Phetchabun in northern Thailand neighbors Pichit, the province where Thai authorities on Tuesday confirmed a new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.
Since late 2003, outbreaks of bird flu have killed 15 people in Thailand and more than 150 people worldwide, mostly in Asia.
Scientists remain concerned that contact between infected birds and humans could lead to the virus mutating into a form that easily passes between humans, sparking a pandemic that could kill millions.