The country’s total swine flu death toll stands at 198.

Dr Siriwat Thiptharadol, deputy permanent secretary for public health said the ministry targets  finish giving two million doses of vaccines to high risk groups within March.

Meanwhile, 30 health staff were infected with Influenza Type A(H1N1) last week.

Dr Opas Karngawinphong, director of the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases, said 43 more private hospitals are joining the H1N1 vaccine campaign, raising the total number of private hospitals in the vaccination programme for pregnant women to 255.

So far 53,000 people across the country have been vaccinated, while the highest figure, or 2,000 was recorded in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

The public health began its free vaccination programme at state and private hospitals nationwide on January 11 by administering about two million injections to five high-risk groups.

The five groups are women who are more than three months pregnant, persons weighing over 100 kg, the disabled, persons with chronic diseases and public health personnel.

In addition, Dr Opas said, Thailand is conducting research to test efficiency of the flu drug Peramivir used in Japan and some other countries. The Food and Drug Administration will order it to treat severely ill patients after it registers the drug. (TNA)

Special Affairs Bureau director Satchathorn Wattanamongkol of the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Education said that according to the weekly report on the A(H1N1) situation from January 18 to 23, laboratory test results confirmed nine students in OBEC schools were infected with the virus.

Of the nine, two are in the capital, three in Ayutthaya, two in Phrae, one each in Chaiyaphum and Narathiwat, said Mr Satchathorn.

He said that the ministry has also ordered the temporary closure of schools in Narathiwat and Phrae to contain the disease.

Mr Satchathorn said that 296 students in 23 OBEC schools in 14 provinces are also under close surveillance.

Contracting A(H1N1) since June 2008 were 2,708 students nationwide, but the situation can be contained and controlled despite the continued spread of new patients.

The education ministry has instructed provincial OBEC directors across the country to step up screening the measures in schools to detect A(H1N1) risk students, he said.

However there have been no reports of A(H1N1) in private schools. (TNA)

In a weekly report on the A(H1N1) flu situation from January 3-9, Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Paichit Varachit confirmed four new fatalities.

The dead were identified as a 24-year-old man living in Chaiyaphum, a 30-year-old woman in Roi Et, a four-year-old boy in Nakhon Ratchasima and a six-year-old boy in Chiang Mai.

All had suffered from asthma and obesity.

Counting from May 2009-January 9, the country’s cumulative A(H1N1) death toll stands at 30,805.

Chiang Mai, Trat, Chiang Ra, Phayao and Songkhla were the first five provinces reporting the highest cumulative number of deaths.

During the past week, a number of persons with flu-like symptoms who received medical treatment at hospitals have increased from nine per cent to 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of persons suffering pneumonia rose from four per cent to 10 per cent, Dr Paichit said.

It is reported that the A(H1N1) flu pandemic has been found some cool areas. Health officials are worried that the virus may spread in rural areas and local people having flu-like symptoms may treat themselves by taking anti-flu drugs which may lead to severe symptoms and deaths.

In addition, the public health ministry has urged hospitals nationwide to closely monitor patients with respiratory diseases to prevent the spread of A(H1N1) influenza.

Regarding the A(H1N1) vaccination, Manit Teeratantikanont, director-general of the Department of Disease Control said no severe allergies were found in vaccinated groups in 31 provinces during the first  two days of the vaccination programme on January 11 and 12.

The ministry reported that 3,769 at-risk people had been vaccinated. It is expected that more persons in high-risk groups will be injected as they are confident of the vaccine’s safety.

The ministry offers free vaccinations for five high-risk groups, including medical personnel, women who are at least three months pregnant, persons weighing over 100kg, the disabled, and persons with chronic diseases through March. (TNA)

In a report on the A(H1N1) situation from December 20 to January 2, the dead victim was identified as a 27-year-old woman who was 16-weeks pregnant living in Nakhon Sawan province.

She also had suffered from chronic diabetes and high blood pressure for three years.

The woman contracted the A(H1N1) flu on December 24, then died on December 30, Dr Paichit said.

Additionally, the Department of Disease Control confirmed that 35 new patients had been infected with the H1N1 virus in 12 provinces from December 20 to January 2.

Counting from May 2009 to January 2, the country’s cumulative death toll hit 192 while confirmed patients reached 29,921.

According to the flu report issued by the World Health Organization on December 30, the death tally worldwide hit 12,220.

Thailand’s portion of global total number of fatalities is 1.6 per cent and the situation is categorised as being under control. (TNA)

In the weekly report on the A(H1N1) flu situation in the country from November 15 through November 21, Dr Paichit Varachit, permanent secretary for public health, confirmed two new fatalities.

Both men, one lived in Bangkok and one in Loei, suffered chronic diseases.

Counting since April 28, the cumulative number of deaths has reached 187 while the total number of patients is 29,165.

Regarding anti-flu vaccines, Dr Paichit said that a government vaccination programme for high-risk groups may begin in mid-January 2010 after the vaccines are delivered to Thailand at the end of December.

The first group mandated to be vaccinated are medical workers.

Currently, the health ministry has asked provincial health chiefs nationwide to submit the number of persons needing to be vaccinated to the ministry in order to prepare the vaccines for them.

The A(H1N1) flu’s high-risk groups consist of health workers, women at least three-months pregnant, people weighing over 100 kilogrammes, mentally handicapped persons, and those with chronic diseases, said Dr Paichit.

In addition, the ministry asked the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to compile the number of handicapped persons in preparation for the vaccines.

Meanwhile, there will be a lot of festivities at the year end, in which people will travel and the disease may easily spread in crowded areas so provincial health offices and related agencies nationwide are ordered to step up measures against the spread of the virus. (TNA)

Presiding over the launching of the campaign in Pathum Thani province, Minister of Public Health Witthaya Kaewparadai said that over 900,000 health volunteers across the country on Wednesday also held educational activities against the Influenza type A(H1N1) virus.

The activities included educating the public about the A (H1N1) virus prevention, exercising and cleaning buildings.

The ministry targeted at least 5 million households nationwide for instruction regarding the A(H1N1) pandemic in order to prevent new mass flu cases and lessen the number of deaths.

Meanwhile, Mr Witthaya added that the Cabinet earmarked a Bt62 million (US$1.7 million) budget to support the operation of medical teams, medical mobile units and village health volunteers.

Currently, the country’s total Influenza type A(H1N1) death toll has reached 97, according to the official report on Tuesday. (TNA)