A 13-year-old girl from Vietnam's central Quang Binh province, who died on March 9, has just been found to contract bird flu virus strain H5N1, local newspaper Young People reported Monday.

The young girl named Hoang Lan Huong from Chau Hoa commune of Tuyen Hoa district died in a provincial hospital 10 days after eating chicken in late February when her family slaughtered the chicken given by one of their relatives for meal. After the meal, the family's three children suffered sudden illness.

On March 17, the testing by the Institute of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi capital city showed that Huong's five-year-old brother named Hoang Trong Duong is infected with H5N1. He is in critical condition after being hospitalized at a hospital in Hue central city on March 15.

Now, up to 195 residents of the Chau Hoa commune have a common flu. Bird flu outbreaks were spotted in the area in early February.

Since mid-December 2004, a total of 26 local people have been reported to contract H5N1, of whom 14 have died. Vietnam's Health Ministry has so far confirmed all the infection cases but the latest one: Hoang Lan Huong.

Source: Xinhua