Provincial authorities learnt of the outbreak after Thanh Nien newspaper carried a news report on Sunday, March 20 saying that 195 people in Chau Hoa commune had symptoms of the flu after the bird flu killed at least a dozen people in Vietnam since late last year.

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In addition, two children in the commune fell ill and were taken to a hospital in Dong Hoi town in March.  The 13-year-old girl died at the hospital on March 9, testing positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian influenza, according to health authorities.

However, the Dong Hoi hospital never reported the case to provincial leaders, a Thanh Nien investigation showed.

Local residents said families in the Chau Hoa commune continued to eat dead chickens throughout the Lunar New Year, which started Feb. 9, while poultry in the rest of the country was being culled and destroyed en masse and health authorities were ordered to stay on guard around the clock to prevent spread of the disease.

Immediate action

An interagency task force has now arrived at the commune to take immediate necessary actions to stabilize the situation and fend off the spread of the epidemic, a Thanh Nien source said.

Tests are being carried out with all 195 suspected patients to determine whether they are infected with bird flu.

Meanwhile, patients with unusual symptoms have been transferred to a special hospital in the central city of Hue for quarantine treatment.

(Reported by T.L. – Translated by Ha Nguyen)