A nurse takes care of a patient suffering from the bird flu virus in a hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The death in Hanoi of the 47-year-old man from Thai Binh province on Jan. 10 marks the first time since the recurrence of bird flu for a fatality to be recorded among people in the northern part of the country.

It brings to 27 the number of bird flu deaths in Vietnam since the initial outbreak early last year.

The man, who was hospitalized for high fever and coughing, initially tested negative for H5N1, but the results of a third test revealed Jan. 20 that he was positive, said a hospital official.

So far bird flu has hit 22 cities and provinces in Vietnam with a total of nearly 400,000 poultry having to be culled in an effort to halt the spread.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 29, 2005
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