June 21
Hanoi, Vietnam (AP) - Bird flu has resurfaced with a vengeance in Vietnam - with five people falling ill in as many weeks - after no human cases had been reported for a year and a half.
Health experts say the spike is a sobering reminder that the H5N1 virus remains deep-rooted and can kill at any time. The virus also has flared elsewhere, with people falling ill in China, Egypt and Indonesia this month alone. And poultry outbreaks have surfaced in Myanmar, Malaysia and as far afield as the Czech Republic.
The latest flareup began in May and has affected poultry in 18 provinces, killing or forcing the slaughter of some 200,000 birds.
Four of the human cases were from the north and one was from central Vietnam, raising the bird flu death toll in the country to 44.
Agriculture officials say unvaccinated ducks are largely to blame for the recent problems. In March, the government lifted a ban on hatching and restocking waterfowl, which has led to more ducklings being raised and transported without being immunized. Vaccination helps to decrease the spread of the virus, but even that is not foolproof because ducks must receive multiple shots each year to ensure immunity.
The virus has killed at least 191 people worldwide. The virus remains hard for humans to catch, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a global pandemic.
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