Vietnam Has New Human Bird Flu Case

The report quoted doctors as saying the man had high fever and severe respiratory problem.

A 23-year-old man has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus in northern Vietnam, a state-run newspaper reported on Saturday.

The online Lao Dong newspaper (www.laodong.com.vn) quoted health officials as saying the man from Dam Ha district in the northern province of Quang Ninh, about 150 km (93 miles) from Hanoi had fallen ill and tests showed he carried the bird flu virus.

The report quoted doctors as saying the man had high fever and severe respiratory problem.

Prior to this case, Vietnam has this year confirmed one case of human infection in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, involving an 8-year-old girl who fell sick after eating duck and chicken raised on her family's farm. She has recovered.

On Saturday, the agriculture ministry said bird flu had infected poultry in three provinces in the country, Ca Mau and Soc Trang in the south and Nghe An in the central region.

The H5N1 flu remains largely a virus among birds, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted by humans and spark a pandemic that could kill millions worldwide.