Another H5N1 Confirmed Fatality in Northern Vietnam
Recombinomics Commentary 13:29
February 14, 2008
The man died six days after being admitted to the national tropical disease hospital in the capital, Hanoi, said Nguyen Huy Nga, director of the Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department.
"The danger of the bird flu virus spreading further remains very high," Nga said "We have repeatedly urged people to report sick poultry to animal health authorities and to refrain from eating sick birds."
The above comments describe another confirmed H5N1 fatality in northern Vietnam. These outbreaks are seasonal and increases in H5N1 cases in deaths at this time of year in northern Vietnam are common.
Although Vietnam has had extensive culling operations, H5N1 continues to return. In earlier years the H5N1 was clade 1. More recently the Fujian (clade 2.3) strain has moved into the region. In contrast to clade 1 infections in early 2005, which were much milder than the prior year, the current infections are largely fatal.
The outbreaks in northern Vietnam coincide with wild bird infections in Hong Kong.
These outbreaks raise questions about wild bird and human cases in southern China, which have not been reported.
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