Vietnam reports new suspected bird flu case

A 16-month-old boy from Vietnam's central Quang Binh province has been hospitalized for being suspected of contracting bird flu virus strain H5N1, according to local newspaper Pioneer on Thursday.

The boy named Nguyen Tien Dung from Chau Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, was admitted to a hospital in Hue central city on Tuesday. Also, a woman from the commune named Hoang Thi Quy is being closely monitored in her residential area since she has a light fever and breathing difficulty.

Quy is an aunt of a 13-year-old girl named Hoang Lan Huong who was reported by local media to die of bird flu on March 9. The woman took care of Huong when her niece fell ill.

Huong's 5-year-old brother named Hoang Trong Duong was confirmed to contract H5N1 last week. He is now recovering after being treated in the Hue-based hospital since March 15. The sister and the brother ate chicken before exhibiting bird flu symptoms.

Now, some 200 residents of the commune have a common flu. Bird flu outbreaks were spotted in the area in early February.

To deal with the situation, Vietnam has sent more health and veterinary officials to probe into suspected cases and work out concrete preventive measures. Over 1,000 fowls in the commune have been culled.

Recent local media reports said a total of 26 Vietnamese people have been contracted H5N1, of whom 14 have died. However, Vietnam's Health Ministry has not confirmed Huong's case.

Source: Xinhua