A German with "high fever" dies

Thai authorities are waiting for the result of a lab test to know whether her death was caused by the Influenza 2009 (H1N1).

The tourist, identified as Mrs Barbel Wilhelmine, was visiting Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan province with her husband and child and had been staying in a hotel for about a week before having chest pains and breathing difficulties on May 18.

Her husband alerted hotel staff who sent her to San Paolo Hua Hin Hospital. The German stopped breathing on her way to the hospital, but the paramedics used CPR to revive her.

The hospital then referred her case to Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok, but she died on the way, in Samut Sakhon province, on May 18.

The Forensic Institute in Bangkok will conduct a postmortem to determine cause of death. A sample has been sent to the lab to test for Influenza 2009.

Nirun Chantrakul, director of San Paolo Hua Hin hospital, said that the health authority is ready to deal with the case if the test results show that the German was infected with the influenza virus.

He said a group of people who had contact with the German have already been quarantined. However, he refused to reveal numbers and the names of those in the group.