Vietnam, 19th case

Another new case of bird flu has been confirmed in Vietnam, according to Xinhuanet.com. (PR China). The new case, a 36 year old male from the north (Thai Binh province) was confirmed as Vietnam's 19th case since December of 2004, according to a Saigon newspaper. The patient is hospitalized at the Tropical Disease Institute in Hanoi, the same hospital where the 18th case, a 21 year old male, lies gravely ill on a respirator. That previous case is now said to have eaten goose before his illness, although no details are yet available as to how long before his illness the meal was taken or if the bird was known to be sick. No information on what exposures the new case might have had to birds or other sources of infection is available at this time.

Thus after a space of three weeks where no human cases were reported, two have appeared in three days.