Vietnam confirms bird flu case*

POSTED: 0323 GMT (1123 HKT), May 22, 2007

Story Highlights
• Man from northern Vinh Phuc province tested positive three days ago
• Man is in critical condition with typical bird fly symptoms, hospital
official says
• Case is Vietnam's first since November 2005
• Vietnam's mass poultry vaccination program has brought virus under control

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Vietnam on Wednesday confirmed its first human
bird flu case in a year and a half, as the virus continues to spread
through the country's poultry stocks.

A 30-year-old man from northern Vinh Phuc province remains hospitalized
and breathing through a respirator after testing positive for the H5N1
virus three days ago, said Tran Quy, director of Bach Mai hospital in Hanoi.

"The man is in critical condition," he said. "He has a high fever,
difficulty breathing, coughing, and the X-ray of his lung was completely
white. All these are typical bird flu symptoms."

Quy said the man was admitted to the hospital last week. Relatives said
he had helped prepare chickens for a wedding reception before falling ill.

It is the country's first human infection of H5N1 since November 2005
and comes as bird flu outbreaks among poultry have been reported in
southern, central and northern Vietnam.

Samples of the virus will be shipped to a World Health Organization lab
for analysis and reconfirmation, said WHO country representative Hans
Troedsson.

"We are following up with the Ministry of Health about it to get more
details," he said. "Since we know there is a risk for transmission to
people, it's not really a surprise. It could just be one isolated case."

Vietnam had been hailed a success story for beating back the virus that
began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. A nationwide mass
poultry vaccination program, coupled with strong political will, brought
the virus under control after it killed 42 people in the country. No
poultry outbreaks were reported in 2006, but the virus flared again
early this year.

The H5N1 virus remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it
could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people. It has killed
up to 185 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.