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Such updated information about the disease will help work out measures to cope with it in a timely and effective manner, the deputy PM said.
He made the request after the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that the H5N1 bird flu has spread to at least 17 provinces, including Phu Yen, Lao Cai, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Nam Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tay Ninh, Long An, Can Tho, Vinh Long, and Ca Mau.
More than 61,000 poultry have contracted the H5N1 virus and the number of infected poultry incinerated has amounted to nearly 85,000.
Five of the above provinces have declared a H5N1 bird flu epidemic.
Deputy PM Hai also asked all localities to launch “Month of Anti-toxicity and Disinfection” at all poultry farms and areas affected by bird flu. The event will run from February 22 to March 21, 2014.
Since early this year, two people have died of the H5N1 virus in Vietnam.
One of the victims was a 52-year-old man in southern Binh Phuoc Province and the other was a 60-year-old woman in Dong Thap Province, also in the southern region.
Both victims had made contact with poultry and many poultry had died in areas near their residences.
There is no evidence that the H5N1 virus can transmit from human to human, but as the disease is spreading widely day after day, preventive measures are necessary, the department said.
Four southern provinces including Long An, Tay Ninh, Ca Mau, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau are localities that have a very high risk of transmission of the H5N1 virus from poultry to humans.
China and Cambodia, Vietnam’s neighboring countries, have also been affected by bird flu. Therefore, the loose control over transport and trade of poultry between Vietnam and these countries may contribute to the transmission of the virus.
Precautions
Regarding the danger of H5N1 bird flu in humans, Dr. Phan Cong Hung, head of the Epidemic Control and Prevention Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute, said avian influenza is caused by a virus that circulates in birds, but the virus can also be endemic in humans and other mammal species.
People who contract the H5N1 virus often suffer serious respiratory problems that can lead to respiratory failure and death if their conditions are not detected early and treated soon.
There is no specific medicine to treat bird flu in humans. There is only antiviral medicine, but it is only effective in patients who are treated early.
The virus is found in large quantities in exudates from noses, throats, poultry excrement, and dust from soil.
The virus can be transmitted to humans when they make direct contact with virus-infected poultry or objects tainted by poultry waste.
The virus can also be passed through air containing the virus or through contaminated water and food.
Bird flu in humans often begins with a high fever at 39-40 degrees Celsius and coughing, chest tightness and pain, rapid and difficult breathing, and a blue taint to the skin.
Patient may also suffer from conditions such as diarrhea, muscular pain, headache, and fatigue.
An x-ray of an infected body shows injuries in one or both lungs. Such injuries often develop rapidly.
Anybody with the above conditions must be hospitalized for treatment as soon as possible, Dr. Hung said.
H5N1 patients should be treated in isolation in hospitals to prevent the spread of the disease. All waste from such patients must be contained in toilets with lids and sterilized with Chloramine B.
People who have made contact with H5N1 patients should be reported to health authorities to be examined and monitored for 14 days for adults and 21 days for children under 15 years old from the last day of contact.
If these people get a fever of over 38 degrees Celsius or develop clinical signs of acute respiratory inflammation, they must be taken to a health center for examination immediately, Hung said.
Four southern provinces including Long An, Tay Ninh, Ca Mau, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau are localities that have a very high risk of transmission of the H5N1 virus from poultry to humans.
Since 1997, many different strains of avian influenza virus have been detected in humans, including H5N1, H7N3, H7N7 and H9N2.
Of the strains, the H5N1 strain is the most dangerous. It causes a high mortality rate, killing 50-60 percent of those affected, Dr. Hung said.
Bird flu developments must be updated hourly: Deputy PM Related image(s)
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