Laboratory tests on Sunday confirmed one chicken was infected with the virus after seven poultry deaths were reported in Sukhothai province last week, said Agriculture Minister Somsak Prisana-anantakul.

The deaths occurred at a rural home where a family was raising 17 chickens, he said. The remaining 10 birds were killed as a precautionary measure and a 3-mile (5-kilometer) radius around the home was declared an outbreak zone and sealed off, he said.

"The situation is under control," Somsak said by telephone.

It was the first case of bird flu in Thailand since January, when two other outbreaks were reported.

Exports of frozen poultry from Thailand have been suspended since 2004.

Bird flu remains hard for people to catch, but health experts worry the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily among humans, sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to direct contact with infected birds. At least 245 people have died worldwide from the virus, according to the World Health Organization.

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