In early February 2004, two Vietnamese children – a nine-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother from Dong Thap Mekong Delta province – died of encephalitis and were later found to be infected with the bird flu virus, according to a report by physicians in Ho Chi Minh City in the Feb. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The finding was an unexpected result of a joint research project conducted by Oxford University and some Vietnamese hospitals, including the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Pediatrics Hospital 1.
The purpose of the project was to identify causes of encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, in southern Vietnam, said Tran Tinh Hien, deputy director of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases as quoted by Tuoi Tre newspaper.
But, the unexpected result proves that symptoms of H5N1 flu patients not only include respiratory problems, but also problems related to the nerves, heart, liver, kidneys and digestion, said Mr. Hien.
“The girl and her younger brother in Dong Thap both died of encephalitis and did not show any respiratory symptoms,” he said.
Mr. Hien added that the research project did not focus on the issue of human-to-human transmission of the bird flu.
Virus can infect brain
This is the first report indicating that the virus can infect the brain. In 2004, the 52 cases of bird flu-infected patients in Thailand and Vietnam, 39 of which were fatal, reported by the World Health Organization were all characterized by respiratory illnesses.
But, "the cases (of the brother and sister) suggest that the spectrum of influenza H5N1 is wider than previously thought," the report said.
"This is a warning to be more vigilant, but not an alarm that every case of encephalitis may be caused by the avian flu virus," said Dr. Arnold Monto, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
(Source: Tuoi Tre & HealthDayNews – Compiled by Thanh Hang) |
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