Re: Patient in Vietnam dies of bird flu
[2] Viet Nam
Date: 16 Jun 2007
Source: Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has killed a 20-year-old Vietnamese man, the first death in
the country from the virus since late 2005, state-run television
reported on Saturday [16 Jun 2007].
The man died last week in the northern province of Ha Tay
neighbouring Hanoi, Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan was quoted
as saying. The television report did not say how the victim became
infected with the H5N1 virus.
Vietnam's programme of poultry vaccination and other measures has
been described by international health experts as a model for keeping
the H5N1 virus at bay,
but this year the virus has spread nationwide
in ducks and chickens.
Saturday's [16 June 2007] report brings to 5 the number of human
cases announced by health authorities since May [2007] and the 1st
fatality, raising Vietnam's death toll since late 2003 to 43 people.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not confirmed the latest
cases.
"We are aware of a number of suspected cases but nothing can
be confirmed until we have results from our labs," WHO spokeswoman
Dida Connor said in Hanoi. "We are investigating closely. The
government is working with us," she said.
In October 2005 a 35-year-old man died in Hanoi after eating a
chicken and health officials later confirmed he had the H5N1 virus.
That year, H5N1 killed 19 patients out of 61 infected.
Vietnamese officials warned early this week that more people could be
infected as bird flu in ducks and chickens has spread to nearly 1/3
of 64 provinces and cities since early May [2007]. Ha Tay is not on
the watchlist of infected areas but the province is the biggest
poultry supplier to nearly 3 million people in the capital.
One of the cases, a 30-year-old man whose infection was reported on
24 May [2007], was discharged from a Hanoi hospital on 4 Jun [2007]
after doctors said they had cured him.
On Tuesday [12 Jun 2007], health officials said 2 women, aged 28 and
29, had been infected by the H5N1 virus in the northern provinces of
Thanh Hoa and Ha Nam. The 2 women and an infected slaughterhouse
worker have been treated in the Hanoi hospital.
Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed 191 people out of 313 known
cases, according to a tally by the WHO. Hundreds of millions of birds
have died or been slaughtered. The H5N1 virus remains mainly a virus
of birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily
transmitted from person to person and sweep the world, killing
millions. So far, most human cases can be traced to direct or
indirect contact with infected birds.
Vietnam's Animal Health Department said on Saturday [16 June 2007]
that fresh bird flu cases had been found among chickens and ducks in
2 northern provinces and another in the central region this week. All
are on the government's watchlist of 16 provinces and 2 cities. On
Friday [15 Jun 2007] it said bird flu had spread to ducks and
chickens in a farm in Cao Bang province that borders China's southern
province of Guangxi.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall.
[It is still not clear if the avian influenza cases mentioned above,
including the 28- and 29-year-old women (also mentioned as an RFI in
archive no.
20070613.1929) have been laboratory confirmed as H5N1
virus infections. A map of Viet Nam showing provinces can be accessed
at:
<
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/vietnam_admin01.jpg>.
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