# 1724
A year ago, Vietnamese officials were celebrating more than a year without a human H5N1 infection. After a disastrous 2004 and 2005, when they saw 90 human infections, reports of bird flu in Vietnam practically disappeared in 2006.
Slowly the virus has regained a foothold in Vietnam, reportedly killing 5 people in the second half of 2007. So far, in 2008, 4 have died.
Officials are warning that more human infections can be expected, and are calling the spread of the disease in humans an `epidemic'.
Hyperbole, perhaps -given the numbers to date - but indicative of their level of concern.
The two `new suspects' appear to be the same ones reported yesterday.
A hat tip to Carol@SC on the Wiki for posting this link.
Two more suspected type A/H5N1 flu patients reported
VietNamNet Bridge – There are two people who are suspected to get type A/H5N1 flu, reported the National Steering Committee or Bird Flu Control’s meeting on February 26.
The Veterinary Agency also reported that bird flu has appeared in eight provinces in Vietnam, including: Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Tuyen Quang in the north and Long An and Vinh Long and the south.
Hoang Van Nam, Vice Head of the agency, said compared to the same period of 2007, bird flu epidemic is not stronger but it has killed five people while the total deaths for the whole 2007 was only four.
He also warned that bird flu trends to quickly infect human and without urgent measures to curb, many more people will get type A/H5N1 virus. The Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta are two highly prone regions for the boom of bird flu on poultry.
Dr. To Long Thanh, Deputy Director of the Centre Veterinary Diagnosis Centre, said the increasing number of type A/H5N1 patients in 2007 proves that the volume of virus on poultry is huge and it is very dangerous for the people who have direct contact with fowls.
Thanh said that recently Thai scientists announced a discovery that H5N1 virus existed in blood of mosquitoes in a poultry farm in southern Thailand. Scientists are researching weather H5N1 virus can go from mosquitoes to humans or not.
The latest report by the Central Epidemiology Institute reveals that two patients from Hung Yen and Phu Tho provinces are suspected to get H5N1 and they are under treatment at a hospital in Hanoi.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said bird flu epidemic is now very serious. The epidemic is quickly spreading in both fowls and humans.
