Vietnam Reports 3rd Death of A/H1N1 Influenza Virus in 2013

Vietnam has reported one more death of A/H1N1 influenza virus, the third case this year after two deaths were recorded in April. The latest victim, a 12-year-old girl, from the central province of Thanh Hoa died of respiratory and multi-organ failures after being admitted to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for one week. The first two cases were reported in the northern province of Yen Bai. Her blood samples was proved positive for A/H1N1 virus  – a strain that caused a global swine flu pandemic in 2009 and killed more than 50 people in Vietnam. At a recent meeting to cope with the H7N9 avian influenza, which is spreading in China, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health experts warned about the recurrence of strain H1N1 and advised people to keep close watch on other deadly strains of flu virus in Vietnam amid the rising number of smuggled poultry. Vietnam has not yet diagnosed any patient with H7N9 virus while China has reported 21 deaths out of total 104 people affected by H7N9 avian flu virus since late Feb. (Vietnam News April 23, Tien Phong – Pioneer April 20)