Third bird flu case in two months sparks fears for Vietnam’s children

A Vietnamese man has become the country’s third person to be diagnosed with bird flu in the past two months, which magnifies fears for children who are most at risk.

The patient, aged 32, came down with a high fever and respiratory problems after killing and eating infected chicken according to news agencies. He tested positive for the HN51 virus at the weekend at the Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases in the capital, Hanoi, where he is on oxygen support. State-run online news service, Dan Tri said that poultry belonging to his family and neighbouring families had died for unknown reasons.

Ly Tai Mui, a 23-year-old woman from northern Quang Ninh Province remains in critical condition after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed she had the strain of the virus that causes avian flu last week. She is known to have had contact with sick and dead poultry before falling ill, the WHO said.

An eight-year-old girl from the northern province of Thanh Hoa has recovered from the virus after several days of hospital treatment. The girl's older sister died in January after showing symptoms similar to those of bird flu, but she was not tested for the virus.

Bird flu has affected millions of birds around the world, particularly in East Asia, and can be caught by humans who come into contact with infected birds — an ever-present danger in some societies where people keep poultry in their yards or live close to food markets. Children appear to be particularly vulnerable, WHO figures show — if only because they are more likely to touch or play with diseased birds.

In Vietnam, the virus is plaguing poultry in seven provinces: Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Nghe An in the north; Quang Tri in the central region; and Soc Trang, Ca Mau, and Hau Giang in the Mekong Delta. At the moment, it is mostly confined to birds, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted by humans.

Since 2003, Vietnam has recorded 52 human deaths from bird flu, the world's second highest toll after Indonesia, where the virus has killed 115 people, according to Reuters news agency. Last year, sporadic outbreaks of H5N1 were reported in 27 provinces in Vietnam. In 2008, five human cases were reported in Vietnam, all fatal. In 2007, eight human cases were reported, five of which were fatal.

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Written by Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children