~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Suspected bird flu claims baby's life in Vietnam

HANOI - A 14-month-old baby boy in Vietnam has died from suspected bird flu despite claims by the government that the deadly disease has been brought under control, officials said on Tuesday. The baby, who was hospitalised in Hanoi on August 28 and then transferred to the Central Paediatric Hospital for specialist care, died on Sunday, said Nguyen Duc Long, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's legal department.

He denied that the child, Le Viet Anh, had been infected with the lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza that has already killed 19 people in Vietnam this year and eight others in Thailand. "The baby tested positive for Type A H5 virus, but this is not bird flu," he told AFP. However, Hans Troedsson, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Vietnam, said it was "highly likely" that the child's death was caused by bird flu.

"We suspect that H5N1 was responsible but we need to investigate it further," he told AFP. The child and his family lived near a market in Hanoi's Thanh Tri district, according to state media.

Agence France Presse - September 7, 2004