A one-year-old boy from Bangkok has been tested positive for avian influenza, the latest confirmed bird flu case since the epidemic struck the country this year, local press reported Saturday.

The baby, being treated at Siriraj Hospital, has had close contact with chickens which later died of bird flu in Klong Sam Wa district on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok, said That Suntrajarn, director-general of the Communicable Disease Control Department.

The house where the boy contracted virus had two chickens and one fighting cock, which died on Oct. 31. It is still unknown whether the birds had bird flu.

The Public Health Ministry said the boy fell ill on Nov. 1 and was rushed to hospital on Nov. 3 with a runny nose, fever and coughing. He was sent home but returned to hospital late on Nov. 5 with the same symptoms.

The baby's 65-year-old grandmother also developed pneumonia- like symptoms but has not been confirmed as contracting bird flu. She is under close watch, according to the website of Bangkok Post.

It is the fourth confirmed H5N1 cases since the third round of avian influenza struck the country early October.

On Friday, a man aged 30 in Thailand's eastern province of Rayong is suspected of having contracted bird flu. He has been put under close surveillance in local hospital.

The man is reportedly has no direct contact with live chickens or chicken carcases. He fell ill after eating a soft boiled egg. The patient's blood sample has been sent to laboratory for testing.

By far, 21 Thais have been diagnosed with bird flu since the H5N1 virus was first detected in the country in late 2003. Among them, 13 people have died.

Source: Xinhua