September 1, 2005

Bird flu claims another victim in Vietnam

The bird flu has claimed the life of yet another Vietnamese on Aug 28, bringing the number of deaths from the disease in Asia to 63 and in Vietnam to 44.

Tests showed that the victim died from acute pneumonia and the H5 component of the H5N1 avian influenza virus was present in the body, according to the Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan.

The 58-year-old man was from Soc Son in the outskirts of Hanoi and ate duck a week before dying. It was purchased from a market, and no other family members became ill after eating the poultry, said Nguyen Van Loan, director of the district Preventive Medicine Centre.

The victim's house had been disinfected and blood samples of those in contact with him were sent for testing, Nguyen added.

There were no reported bird flu outbreaks among poultry in the district.

In the meantime, Agriculture and Health Ministry officials said they are finalising details of an emergency plan to tackle a flu pandemic. Animal health officials will also be reviewing soon the vaccination campaign using Chinese and Dutch vaccines in the provinces of Nam Dinh and Tien Giang.