Possible SARS case in Thai hospital

A Thai man was in a Bangkok hospital today with suspected Sars, and officials believe he may have contracted the deadly virus in London.

A Thai woman was in a Bangkok hospital today with suspected Sars, and officials believe she may have contracted the deadly virus in London.

The patient, who officials said is well on the way to recovery, had been in contact with a Chinese businessman during her six day visit to Britain.

Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan’s announcement suggested a possible Sars carrier may have been in London.

Sudarat said the Thai businesswoman is the eighth probable Sars victim identified in Thailand. Two of them, both foreigners, have died and the remaining five, all Thai, were released from hospitals after responding to treatment or after doctors were sure they did not have Sars.

The Thai woman went to London on April 5 and came back on April 11. She was admitted to hospital a few days later for other illnesses, but developed symptoms similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), Sudarat said.

“After that we treated her as a Sars patient, and we had the medical personnel who had close contact with the patient quarantined,” Sudarat said, adding that none of the staff have developed symptoms of Sars, which include fever, shortness of breath and coughing.

The patient, who was not identified, remains in hospital but is recovering well and will be discharged in a few days, she said.

It was not clear if she was still being treated for Sars, or if she actually had the virus in the first place.

Sars has killed more than 260 people worldwide and sickened about 4,200. The 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations will hold a summit in Bangkok on April 29 on how to cope with the spread of the disease.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said government leaders and ministers attending the summit will not be subjected to stringent medical checks now being carried out at airports.

However, officials and other delegates will still have to go through the checks, which involve taking temperatures and filling out forms about their health.

“The leaders and ministers are well aware that they are coming to talk about Sars. So if someone suspects he has a fever, he will not come. If they come they will not have to undergo checks,” he said.