Third bird flu death in Thailand

A third person has died from bird flu in Thailand, the public health minister said today, after the disease claimed the lives of two local children last week.

An unidentified 58-year-old man from central Suphanburi province, who died earlier and was suspected of having bird flu, was confirmed as having had the virus after an autopsy, said Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphun.

The victim is the fourth confirmed human case of bird flu in Thailand. Two children died from the virus last week and a third child is being treated for the disease at a local hospital.

Bird flu has killed millions of chickens in 10 Asian countries and jumped to humans in Thailand and Vietnam, killing at least 12 people.