First human death from H5N1 flu in VN this year

After a week of treatment, a 52-year-old man in southern Binh Phuoc Province died of H5N1 avian flu last Saturday, the first human death from the H5N1 flu virus in 2014, health authorities reported.

>> Heath authorities call for preventing H7N9 flu spread

The man was also the first human with H5N1 avian flu to die in the past nine months, the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Health Department said.

The victim, Hoang Van Minh, of Bu Dang District, was hospitalized at Bu Dang General Hospital on January 11, 2014 with a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Doctors diagnosed him with viral pneumonia.

Six days later, he was transferred to the Infection Department of the Binh Phuoc General Hospital.

As Minh’s condition worsened, he was transferred to the Tropical Diseases Hospital on January 18 and died later the same day.

The patients’ samples tested positive for the H5N1 avian flu virus, the hospital said.

An epidemic investigation showed that his family had recently eaten duck meat, and a number of chickens raised near his residence had died from unknown causes.

The provincial Health Department and Preventive Health Center have disinfected the man’s house and is monitoring the health of those who had contact with the deceased.

The Preventive Health Department asked provincial health authorities to take effective measures to detect and prevent any outbreaks of H5N1 flu in humans.

The HCM City Pasteur Institute has sent a working team to Binh Phuoc to look into the man’s death and examine local poultry breeders.

The Health Ministry suggested that the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department strengthen epidemic control over poultry and coordinate with health workers in carrying out measures to prevent avian flu in humans.

In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam directed all people’s committees, especially those of northern provinces that border China, to take measures to prevent H7N9 avian flu from spreading into Vietnam from its northern neighbor.

“The epidemic can penetrate into Vietnam at any time since there is a large volume of people and goods, including poultry, that travels between the two countries at the border everyday,” said Dr Tran Dac Phu, head of the Preventive Health Department.

Precaution

In order to prevent outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu in humans, the Preventive Health Department advised that everyone should avoid consuming poultry that was diseased or died from unknown causes.

Everyone should eat thoroughly cooked food, drink boiled water, and wash their hands with soap before meals, the department said.

It is imperative to prevent the slaughtering, transporting, and trading of poultry and poultry products with unknown origins.

Any discoveries of diseased poultry or poultry that has died before slaughter must be reported to the local government and veterinary agency, the department said.

Anyone who develops such symptoms as fever, chest pain, or difficulty breathing after consumption of poultry must be taken to health facilities for a consultation, examination, and treatment.

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