Thailand's Public Health Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the country has had the first human-to-human case of A/H1N1 flu patient.

The ministry said that the patient is a 19-year-old man, who has not traveled abroad. He was infected with the A/H1N1 flu from his mother, who was sick of the A/H1N1 flu after returning from the United States.

His mother, 49, hence, was registered as Thailand's sixth case of the A/H1N1 flu patient. She had developed the flu symptoms as she and her husband were returning from the US on May 25, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said in a press statement.

Her husband was earlier a confirmed A/H1N1 flu patient. The 19-year-old man, who has never traveled abroad, was infected from his parents, said the minister, adding that he was registered as the country's seventh case of the confirmed A/H1N1 flu patient.

His parents have already recovered from the new flu disease, he said. However, the minister did not reveal any details about his condition.

In addition, the minister said that the country's eighth case of the A/H1N1 flu patient is a 20-year-old woman, whose flu symptoms had started from May 30 while she was in the United States.

The woman arrived in Thailand on June 1 and was admitted to a hospital on June 2, said the minister.

As Thailand is the leading tourism country in the region, it is possible that everyday foreign tourists will arrive at Thailand with the A/H1N1 flu disease, said Witthaya.

Hence, the country will tighten its surveillance measures to deal with the probable expansion of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak, said he.

The measures will include often hand washing, wearing facial masks, closure of schools and infected areas, suspension of public activities, and adjustment of working operations to save employees, he added.

"If the wide spread of the A/H1N1 flu disease occurs, the government will attempt to control it within two weeks," said Witthaya.

Prior to the Thursday's announcement of the three more A/H1N1 flu patients, the country had had five confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu patients as all of them were sick after returning abroad.

On May 12, the Public Health Ministry announced Thailand's first two A/H1N1 flu cases.

According to the World Health Organization, Thailand ranked 33rd as the country, which has been hit by the deadly new virus.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2009)