Bird flu claims more lives

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3450347.stm

 

Bird flu virus claims more lives

 

Two more people have died of bird flu in Asia, as experts warned the

virus was far from being under control.

An 18-year-old man in Vietnam and a 58-year-old Thai woman took the

total death toll to 12.

 

People who have contracted H5N1 bird flu are thought to have caught it

through contact with sick birds.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it cannot rule out one case

of human to human transmission in Vietnam, but there was no firm

evidence of it.

 

The case involves two sisters who died after having contact with their

brother. The man died after appearing to contract bird flu, although he

was cremated before tests were done.

 

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The WHO said it had not been able to conclusively identify the source of

infection for the two sisters, and that their brother was therefore one

possible explanation.

 

However, the WHO has described the case as an anomaly and said there was

no evidence of the virus spreading throughout the general population.

 

Health experts are worried that if the virus mixes with a regular human

influenza strain, it might create a mutant form that was able to pass

between humans, triggering a human flu pandemic.

 

In other developments:

 

WHO warns that the virus is far from being under control, urging strong

collaborative efforts;

 

In Hong Kong, poultry workers have begun receiving free influenza

vaccinations as part of the government's efforts to prevent the virus

from spreading to the territory;

 

International health and agriculture agencies are due to hold crisis

talks in Rome on Tuesday;

 

China on Sunday reported five more areas with suspected cases of bird

flu in poultry

 

New deaths

 

The teenager from Vietnam's Central Highlands province of Lam Dong died

early on Monday, deputy director of Ho Chi Mink City' Tropical Disease

Hospital Tran Tin Hein said.

 

" He was admitted to our hospital on Thursday and on Saturday he tested

positive for H5N1 (strain of the bird flu), " Mr Hein told the AFP news

agency.

 

" According to our information he had direct contact with chickens in his

village in the Did Linn district, " he added.

 

Officials said the victim was from the Coho ethnic minority group. The

WHO has not yet confirmed the death.

 

Two other people in Vietnam have also caught the virus, officials say.

 

But a four-year-old boy had made a full recovery, while an

eight-year-old girl was in a stable condition, Mr Hein said.

 

In Thailand, the woman from the central province of Siphon Bury was

confirmed to have died from the disease on Monday, Thailand's Public

Health Minister Sudarat Keyraphan said.

 

Two six-year-old boys died from the virus last week, and a third child -

a seven-year-old boy - was being treated at a local hospital, Ms Sudarat

said.

 

The current bird flu epidemic has affected 10 Asian states, where tens

of millions of poultry have already been slaughtered.

 

 

 

 

--

Dave Neale

Animals Asia Foundation

 

Find out more about the historic China Bear Rescue by visiting the

Animals Asia Foundation website at http://www.animalsasia.org