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February 2005
Three Vietnamese children died recently from laboratory-confirmed
avian influenza A (H5N1).
The first case of H5N1 occurred in a 16-year-old girl from the
southern province of Tay Ninh, Vietnam, who had been hospitalized since Dec.
26, 2004. She died Jan. 8.
Vietnamese authorities are investigating the source of her
infection, including the possibility of contact with infected poultry.
This was the first human case of avian influenza detected in
Vietnam since early September.
A 6-year-old boy from Dong Thap died on Dec. 30, according to a
World Health Organization (WHO) report.
On Jan. 2, a 9-year-old boy from Tra Vinh province was
hospitalized; he died on Jan. 4.
Initial tests identified the H5 subtype of the avian influenza
virus in all the cases, and further testing is under way, a WHO update stated.
Health officials are monitoring close contacts for any signs of illness.
All three of these cases occurred in the southern part of the
country, where poultry outbreaks have been recurring since December of last
year.
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Conditions ripe for
outbreaks
WHO suggested that “as avian influenza viruses become more
active at cooler temperatures, further poultry outbreaks, possibly accompanied
by sporadic human cases, can be anticipated.”
Poultry marketing, transportation and consumption increase in
Vietnam in early February, and such activities create conditions that enhance
the spread of poultry outbreaks and call for heightened control measures.
Since January of last year, Vietnam has reported 35 cases, 27 of
which were fatal.
Thailand has also reported human cases, bringing the total number
of cases in Asia to 52 and total fatal cases to 39, according to a WHO
update.
WHO and influenza experts worldwide are concerned that the recent
widespread distribution of H5N1 has the potential to prompt the next
pandemic.
Given this threat, WHO has urged all countries to develop or
update their influenza pandemic preparedness plans to reduce its impact.
“WHO believes the appearance of H5N1, which is now widely
entrenched in Asia, signals that the world has moved closer to the next
pandemic,” the organization stated. “While it is impossible to
accurately forecast the magnitude of the next pandemic, we do know that much of
the world is unprepared for a pandemic of any size.”
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