One more patient suspected of being infected with influenza A / H5N1

Suspected patient is a male Thanh Hoa student studying in Hanoi.

At the meeting of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control on the afternoon of August 1, Dr. Nguyen Hai Yen - Department of Epidemiology and Epidemiology (National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology) said that the institute is conducting tests on disease samples. product of a suspected patient with H5N1 virus.

The patient is a male student studying in Hanoi (Thanh Hoa province). It is known that when in the countryside, this patient has started the disease with the characteristic signs of influenza A / H5N1. After 12 days of treatment at Thanh Hoa General Hospital but not helped, the patient was transferred to the National Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Hanoi on July 29.

Poultry inspection (Artwork from the National Extension Center)

Currently, this patient does not have to breathe. However, because patients have signs of influenza A / H5N1 infection should be monitored. Epidemiological investigations do not see patients exposed to poultry, test results will be available in the next few days.

Also at the meeting, Dr. Nguyen Huy Nga - Director of Vietnam Preventive Medicine Department (Ministry of Health) said that the avian influenza epidemic on human is very complicated, with high mortality rate (50%). Statistics show that since the beginning of the year, there have been 6 people infected with influenza A / H5N1, including 3 deaths.

In the case of patients with MSH (22 years old), who died of influenza A / H5N1, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology conducted 3 times of testing samples of patients with the two most modern methods nowadays. positive results.

According to epidemiological investigations, patients who are exposed to 5 chickens and ducks are completely healthy, but do not kill or eat these birds.

Currently the Ministry of Health has sent staff to the residence of this case to make a list of 16 people who have contact with patients, giving these people a Tamiflu prophylaxis for the risk of infection and taking samples for testing. at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Le Ha