Bird Flu Death Reported in Vietnam

Vietnam has reported its second bird flu death in 2014, says health official. A 60-year-old woman from southern Dong Thap province died on January 28 and tested positive for the H5N1 virus the following day, provincial medical department director Nguyen Ngoc An told AFP.

It follows the death of a 52-year-old man from the southern Binh Phuoc province on January 18.

Avian Influenza / Bird Flu-Causes-Symptoms-Treatment- FAQs
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.

Demand for poultry in Vietnam tends to increase at the end of January as families celebrate the Tet lunar new year festival.

The H5N1 virus has caused 649 confirmed flu cases in humans since it re-emerged in 2003, resulting in 385 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

It typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact. But experts fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, with the potential to trigger a pandemic.

Quiz on Flu
Influenza (or rather, the flu) is a cold weather infectious condition that affects the young and old alike. Though most reported cases are mild, the flu can sometimes cause severe and life-threatening complications in both children and adults, thanks to wrong medications and improper vaccinations. Learn more about the disease from our Flu Quiz and guard yourself and your family from a possible infection.

Vietnam has recorded one of the highest fatality rates from bird flu in Southeast Asia.It has claimed 63 lives so far, including one in 2013, according to the WHO.

The WHO figures do not include the two recent deaths in Vietnam.

Third Bird Flu Death in Hong Kong
Hong Kong reported third death from H7N9 bird flu on Wednesday, a day after authorities culled 22,000 birds to curb the disease. of an elderly man who had visited mainland China.

Neighbouring Cambodia recorded 13 deaths from the virus last year, as it battled its deadliest outbreak since 2003.

Both Hong Kong and China have recently seen a spike in cases of the H7N9 strain of bird flu, although the WHO has said that the rise in cases this year was not surprising due to seasonal factors.

China Reports Three New H7N9 Bird Flu Deaths
The state news agency Xinhua has reported that three more Chinese people have died of the H7N9 bird flu.

Chinese scientists this week sounded the alarm after a new bird flu virus, H10N8, killed an elderly woman in December and infected another individual last month.

Source-AFP