Vietnam records first patient of avian flu A/H9

Chickens are raised in a shed. Illustration photo by Shutterstock/Sodel Vladyslav

The 37-year-old man, who lives in Chau Thanh District, had a fever and purchased medicine to treat himself on March 10. As his conditions got serious, he was taken to the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases on March 16, where doctors diagnosed him with severe viral pneumonia.

Test results revealed that he had influenze A, and there were genetic segments similar to the A/H9 influenze strain. The Pasteur Institute of HCMC also confirmed the result. The man is under intensive care.

The man lives near a wet market that sells poultry, and there is no sick or dead animal in the areas around the patient's family. Those who have had close contact with the patient have been listed and being monitored, and they have shown no signs of respiratory infection. No outbreaks have been recorded near the patient's neighborhood.

The A/H9 influenza is an avian flu infectious to people. There have been no evidence to prove that the virus can be transmitted between humans.

The Ministry of Health said the man from Tien Giang is the first recorded case of A/H9 in Vietnam. From 2015 to 2023, 98 such cases have been recorded within the West Pacific region, with two deaths.

There is currently no cure or vaccine for avian flu. Death rates for avian flu may reach 50%, while the rates for normal flu is at 1-4%.