On October 30, Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Preventive Health (Ministry of Health), announced that the two fatalities in Quang Binh province are only suspected to be due to avian influenza. Since July 24, Vietnam has not reported any cases of H5N1 infection.
Previously, according to a report from Vietnam-Cuba Hospital (Dong Hoi Town, Quang Binh), two patients who were suspected of having avian influenza died at the hospital. The female patient (14 years old, from Quang Trach District) was admitted on October 21 in critical condition and passed away two days later. The male patient (26 years old, from Bo Trach District) was admitted on October 26 and died one hour later. Both patients exhibited symptoms of fever, respiratory failure, severe pneumonia, and multiple organ failure…
The illness progressed rapidly and showed symptoms similar to avian influenza. Initial epidemiological investigations revealed that four days before falling ill, the male patient had purchased pre-prepared duck meat from the market to eat. The family of the female patient reported that one week prior to her illness, she had eaten a chicken egg. However, there were no outbreaks reported in the local areas of the two deceased patients, nor were there any signs of mass poultry deaths.
In mid-November, the Ministry of Health will conduct an avian influenza prevention drill across the three regions of the country.