Vietnam reports new bird flu infection
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-16 14:58

A 52-year-old man has tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, Vietnam's first newly reported case in nearly a month, a health official said Monday.

Test results at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi confirmed Wednesday that the man from northern Vinh Phuc Province, about 40 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, is infected with the virus, said Ha Minh Nguyet, vice director of the local Preventive Health Center. The man is in a stable condition, Nguyet added.

The man, who suffers from a mental disorder, was collecting sick chickens in his village for meals two weeks ago. On May 5 he was admitted to a mental hospital in Hanoi with a high fever and coughing and breathing difficulties, which are typical bird flu symptoms.

He was on May 10 transferred to the Institute for Tropical Disease and Clinical Medicines where he subsequently tested positive for the bird flu virus, Nguyen told Kyodo News.

Local health officials have been keeping close watch on his family members, who show no bird flu symptoms.

According to the Health Ministry, 44 people have tested positive for the H5N1 strain in 18 provinces and cities since the disease's recurrence in late December, 16 of whom having died.