Vietnamese teenager confirmed to have H5N1 virus
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-22 18:44

A Vietnamese teenager has been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, health officials said on Tuesday.

A hen is seen in a village in Ha Tay province, 20 km (12 miles) from Hanoi November 21, 2005. [Reuters]

Doctors from the health department in northern Haiphong city told Reuters that laboratory tests showed 15-year-old Vu Van Hoa had contracted the strain and was being treated at a local hospital.

Tests on four other patients, including a veterinarian who had come into contact with sick chickens and developed flu symptoms, were negative for H5N1, they said.

The H5N1 virus has killed 67 people in Asia, including 42 in Vietnam, since late 2003. Experts fear that H5N1 could mutate into a form that passes easily among people and trigger a global pandemic.