Vietnam records avian influenza A/H5N1 death after 10 years

The patient was admitted to Ninh Hoa Medical Station on March 156-17 after showing flu-like symptoms such as fever and cough.

He was subsequently transferred to Khanh Hoa General Hospital for treatment with a diagnosis of pneumonia. He later tested positive for the virus.

According to the epidemiological investigations, the patient had gone hunting for wild birds near his residence. There were no sick or dead poultry around the area where his family lived.

Healthcare workers have traced cases of close contact with the patient for health monitoring. No new cases have been detected so far.

This is the second human infection with the avian influenza virus (A/H5N1) Vietnam has recorded since 2014.

Since 2003 Vietnam has documented 128 A/H5N1 human infections, including 65 deaths.

So far this year, bird flu has been reported in Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An and Tien Giang provinces.

There is currently no specific treatment for avian influenza in humans and also no vaccine to prevent the disease. Laboratory tests shows there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted from person to person.

A/H5N1 is a highly virulent strain of influenza, and infected people often develop severe illnesses and die at a high rate of up to 50%.