Doctor Warns Flu Outbreak in Nakhon Ratchasima After Child Death
A pediatrician in Nakhon Ratchasima warns of an influenza outbreak after a seven‑year‑old child died. He lists warning signs that require urgent hospital care and highlights high‑risk groups who should get antiviral treatment promptly. The doctor hopes upcoming school closures will curb the spread.
On October 4, 2026, Dr. Jiraruj Chomsak, a pediatric pulmonology and critical care specialist at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, posted about an influenza outbreak in the province. He reported that a roughly seven‑year‑old overweight child had died, expressing condolences to the family. He stressed that flu is not a simple cold and can cause life‑threatening complications in certain children. He listed red‑flag symptoms that require immediate hospitalisation: rapid or labored breathing with chest retractions, bluish lips or face, severe dehydration (no urination for eight hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying), abnormal neurological responses such as extreme lethargy, inability to be awakened, unusual restlessness, or seizures, severe muscle pain that prevents walking, persistent high fever above 40 °C (104 °F) despite antipyretics, and a pattern of initial improvement followed by sudden relapse with high fever and severe cough, indicating possible bacterial pneumonia.
He identified high‑risk groups who should receive antiviral medication (e.g., oseltamivir) at the first sign of infection: obese children (BMI ≥ 95th percentile), children under five (especially under two), those with chronic illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, kidney or liver disease, blood disorders like sickle cell, diabetes, neurological conditions including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, severe developmental delay, or muscular dystrophy, and immunocompromised children due to HIV, chemotherapy, cancer, or chronic steroid use. Dr. Jiraruj noted that the outbreak continues in both urban and rural districts of Nakhon Ratchasima, and he hopes school closures after October 6 will help ease the situation, offering the information to parents to aid early detection.
