Dead Chiang Mai tourist had heart condition

14 Mar 2011

Tests on New Zealander Sarah Carter, who died after a stay at a Chiang Mai hotel, have revealed that she had a health condition. The Thai doctor who led the investigation into Ms Carter’s death early last month told New Zealand embassy staff that she had echovirus.

The disease is communicable and has been tied to unclean and overcrowded conditions. Echovirus has also been known to cause myocarditis, which 23-year-old Ms Carter died from.

The victim had been staying at Chiang Mai’s central Downtown Inn with friends Amanda Eliason, 24 and Emma Langlands, 23. They had eaten take-away food before becoming sick.

All three women went to a local hospital, but while Ms Carter passed away, one of her friends required emergency heart treatment and the other was less badly affected. Subsequent enquires revealed that 47-year-old Thai tour guide Waraporn Pungmahisiranon had died after suffering diarrhoea in the adjacent room to the three friends just before they got sick.

A short time later, an elderly British couple, George and Eileen Everitt, staying at the same hotel died in their room. Investigators say the couple had both had heart problems, but the couple’s family say they were reasonably healthy.

Police and technicians have checked out the Downtown Inn’s air conditioning system and guest facilities and have found nothing untoward that might have contributed to the tragic deaths.

In an additional twist to the problem, local news reporters are linking two other deaths, where the victims had similar symptoms, in the month before Ms Pungmahisiranon’s to the other four, although the two were staying in different hotels. The Chiang Mai Provincial Health Office is believed to be trying to ascertain if there was a common link between the victims.

Tags: Dead tourist heart