WHO has published Avian influenza – situation in Viet Nam - update 10.
The Ministry of Health has reported a new confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
This case was confirmed at Pasteur Institute, Ho Chi Minh City. The case was a 3 year old girl residing in Thuan An district, Binh Duong province. She developed symptoms on 5 March 2010 and presented to Thuan An District Hospital and a private health facility for investigation and treatment.
On 10 March, she was presented to the Pediatrics Hospital No. 2 where she was suspected to have influenza A (H5N1). Despite treatment, the case died on 17 March.
Confirmatory test results for influenza A (H5N1) were also obtained on that day.
Of the 117 cases confirmed to date in Viet Nam, 59 have been fatal.
WHO has also published a new cumulative total of H5N1 cases worldwide. Among other things, it shows Vietnam has already had five cases this year—as many as it had altogether in 2009.
On the brighter side, all five cases last year were fatal; only two have been fatal so far this year. And Vietnam’s case fatality ratio, 50.2%, is at least better than the worldwide CFR of 59.1%. Indonesia’s CFR is 81.8%. All these numbers are of course horrendous.
