Vietnamese health authorities have warned of the transmission of bird flu to humans following the spread of the H5N1 virus to at least six provinces. Two people have already died after contracting H5N1, and another is in critical condition after contracting H1N1.

>> Avian flu spreads in six provinces in Vietnam>> H5N1 bird flu breaks out in Quang Ngai, Thanh Hoa >> Ministry warns about risk of H7N9 virus spread>> First human death from H5N1 flu in VN this year Given that poultry is usually raised in small farms scattered across the country and poultry is often slaughtered in unhygienic and unsafe conditions, whenever a bird flu epidemic breaks out, there is a distinct possibility for the disease to transmit to humans, deputy head of the Health Ministry’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Tran Nhu Duong, warned on Wednesday. Two people died last month from eating poultry infected with H5N1 bird flu, Duong said. Duong’s warning was made following the spread of H5N1 bird flu to at least six provinces, including Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Thanh Hoa, Kon Tum, and Dak Lak, affecting tens of thousands of poultry, many of which have been incinerated. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man from Nha Trang City, Huynh Thanh Tuan, is being treated in special isolation at the Intensive Care and Antitoxic Unit at the Khanh Hoa Province General Hospital. Tuan was hospitalized on February 5 with a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing. His condition worsened later with respiratory failure and multi-organ failure. Tuan has been put on a respirator and is subject to continuous blood purification, doctors said, adding that his condition is fatal. Tuan’s samples were tested by the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute and the Nha Trang City Pasteur Institute. The test results from both agencies showed that he has contracted the H1N1 virus, a human seasonal flu virus that is also endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza). Besides Tuan, five others are suspected to suffer from bird flu. Their blood samples have been sent for testing and doctors are awaiting the results. In regards to the recent serious developments of bird flu, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is planning an urgent meeting today to discuss measures to cope with the situation. Concerned agencies in provinces affected by H5N1 bird flu are taking urgent measures, including poultry vaccinations, to prevent the spread of the disease. In Ho Chi Minh City, authorities are tightening control over the breeding, transport, slaughtering, and trade of poultry to detect and prevent bird flu outbreaks. All cocks raised for cockfighting must be confiscated and incinerated, the city People’s Committee said.