Human bird flu death is confirmed by Vietnam
Source: Agencies |
January 20, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
VIETNAM yesterday confirmed its first human death from bird flu in nearly two years, a day after neighboring Cambodia also logged its first fatality this year as new cases of the H5N1 virus are reported in Asia and the Middle East.
Both deaths appear to be linked to contact with poultry, and no human-to-human transmission is suspected. Other human bird flu cases have been reported recently in Indonesia, Egypt and China. Outbreaks typically flare among poultry stocks during the winter flu months, often resulting in human cases.
In Vietnam, test confirmed that an 18-year-old man died of the disease on Monday after being hospitalized a day earlier, said Dang Thi Thanh of southern Kien Giang province's health department.
She said he was working at a duck farm in neighboring Can Tho City when he fell sick with a high fever and breathing problems. His house has been disinfected and those who were in contact with him remain under surveillance.
No sick or dead poultry have been reported on the two farms where the man worked, but samples have been collected for analysis and the farms disinfected, said Huynh Thi Khai Hoan, an animal health officer in Can Tho City. However, many ducks on the farms where the man worked had been sold.
In Cambodia, a 2-year-old boy died on Wednesday after developing symptoms on January 3. He was in contact with sick poultry, said the World Health Organization. The country's last death occurred in August.
The virus rarely infects humans and usually only those who come in direct contact with diseased poultry, but experts fear it will mutate into a new form.
The WHO says that globally there have been 341 human deaths from 578 bird flu cases since 2003. About 60 occurred in Vietnam.
Before Monday, Vietnam had not seen a human bird flu death since April 2010, according to officials.
Both deaths appear to be linked to contact with poultry, and no human-to-human transmission is suspected. Other human bird flu cases have been reported recently in Indonesia, Egypt and China. Outbreaks typically flare among poultry stocks during the winter flu months, often resulting in human cases.
In Vietnam, test confirmed that an 18-year-old man died of the disease on Monday after being hospitalized a day earlier, said Dang Thi Thanh of southern Kien Giang province's health department.
She said he was working at a duck farm in neighboring Can Tho City when he fell sick with a high fever and breathing problems. His house has been disinfected and those who were in contact with him remain under surveillance.
No sick or dead poultry have been reported on the two farms where the man worked, but samples have been collected for analysis and the farms disinfected, said Huynh Thi Khai Hoan, an animal health officer in Can Tho City. However, many ducks on the farms where the man worked had been sold.
In Cambodia, a 2-year-old boy died on Wednesday after developing symptoms on January 3. He was in contact with sick poultry, said the World Health Organization. The country's last death occurred in August.
The virus rarely infects humans and usually only those who come in direct contact with diseased poultry, but experts fear it will mutate into a new form.
The WHO says that globally there have been 341 human deaths from 578 bird flu cases since 2003. About 60 occurred in Vietnam.
Before Monday, Vietnam had not seen a human bird flu death since April 2010, according to officials.
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