6 sailors die from ‘vitamin deficiency’

Vitamin B1 deficiency was most likely to blame for the deaths of six fishing vessel crew members and illness affecting at least 25 more, the Public Health Ministry revealed yesterday.

Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said experts dismissed the possibility of bird flu infection, having found no evidence.

A team comprising experts and scientists from the Department of Disease Control (DDC), Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and the Thai Red Cross Society was investigating the incident, Mr Piyasakol said.

To confirm their hypothesis that vitamin B1 deficiency was the cause of the deaths and illnesses, laboratory tests are being conducted at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of medicine with the results expected within three days.

At least 18 samples of drinking water, water, melted ice from freezers, cooking materials, food, tobacco and some medicines found on two fishing vessels on which the six crew members had been working before they died have been collected and were being tested at a medical science centre in Surat Thani.

One Thai and five Cambodian nationals died, said Chaiyaporn Suchartsunthon, chief provincial public health officer of Ranong province.

There were 25 other patients with the same symptoms. Five remained at Ranong Hospital with heart failure symptoms. The rest have been released.

The first death occurred on Dec 26. The latest was reported on Wednesday. The men suffered from a lack of energy, swollen and numb legs and arms, chest pains and breathlessness, Dr Chaiyaporn said.

All of them suffered these symptoms two days to a week before they died, and some of them were in such a bad state they were “gasping for breath”, he said. Healthcare staff are assigned to educate workers and skippers about nutrition intake.

According to the DDC, three common factors that can lead to this condition are eating food that lacks vitamin B1, eating food that destroys B1 (such as uncooked fish, fermented fish and alcohol) and excessive exertion.

Vitamin B1 is contained in grains and green-leaf vegetables.