Vietnam reports first H5N1 bird flu death in 2014

The first death caused by H5N1 bird flu in Vietnam in 2014 has been reported in southern Binh Phuc province, the country's Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health announced late Monday. The victim, a man at his 52, was hospitalized on Jan. 11 due to symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The patient was later confirmed infected with the virus, said the announcement, adding that his lung was damaged quickly. He died on Jan. 18, presenting the first death in Vietnam in 2014 after nine months without any H5N1 bird flu cases reported on human. Test results later showed that he was positive for avian influenza. The department recommended that local people should not eat sick, dead or unknown of origin poultry. When poultry are detected sick or dead, local authorities should be informed immediately. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.