VietNamNet Bridge – A four-year-old boy died from avian flu strain H5N1 in southern Dong Thap Province, authorities confirmed on April 9, saying that measures were being taken to prevent the virus from spreading further.

The victim from Cao Lanh District’s Tan Hoi Trung Commune likely contracted the virus from a chicken his grandmother bought at the beginning of the month.

The boy was allegedly unwell at the time and relatives said he was present while his grandmother slaughtered the fowl.

All poultry in the neighbourhood was incinerated by veterinary authorities after more chickens tested positive for the virus, according to the local department of health.

HCM City-based Pasteur Hospital confirmed that all the 10 people who had direct contact with the boy had blood tests with negative results.

Local authorities have taken preventive measures to halt any outbreaks within the community.

More than 4,000 salanganes in central Ninh Thuan Province’s Dao Long Commune died this week. Samples taken from the dead birds were positive for the virus, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Local authorities are making efforts to check the health status of people in the neighbourhood and take other necessary preventive measures.

Among the 123 infected cases confirmed between December 2003 and February 2012, the H5N1 bird flu virus has claimed 61 lives in Vietnam, according to the World Health Organisation (WTO).

Source: Vietnam Plus