By The Nation
A-40-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man in Bangkok have become the country’s first two fatalities linked to the type-A (H1N1) influenza virus, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai announced Saturday.

I guess most of us will avoid traveling until the influenza  subsides or under control, so even if I’m given Vegas vacations for free, I might want to turn it down. Being a mother means I can’t fall sick, and worse still, I can’t risk my kids of getting ill!

 The spread of influenza (A)H1N1 has forced Bangkok’s Saint Gabriel College to suspend all its classes and activities until next Thursday, while Saint Francis Xavier School has announced that it will shut down for seven days. Other schools are expected to follow suit.

Part of the reason why I am worried is my gal is going for her first school trip in the city next week, so I begin to be all alert about the cases of influenza in the city. I hope that it’s under control, and it won’t go as bad as the condition in Pattaya.

Thailand’s total 2009 flu cases: 46

17 were workers at a Pattaya discotheque

4 were admitted to a Chon Buri hospital

5 were St Gabriel’s school students

We haven’t figured out our term life insurance quotes in Bangkok yet, but most important, I want my kids and family to be safe here, instead of being threatened by the virus. The symptoms of influenza (A)H1N1 include fever, coughing and sore throat, so we shall be extra careful in monitoring our kids. Besides that, I shall ask them to wash their hands more often, and if there is a must, they will put on masks to school too.