The first A/H5 flu patient of the year died

On the morning of March 23, Dr. Nguyen Dong, Director of Khanh Hoa Province Tropical Diseases Hospital, confirmed that the patient died that morning due to severe disease progression and pulmonary fibrosis. Previously, the hospital doctors had consulted with colleagues from the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital (Hanoi) and the Tropical Diseases Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City but were unable to save the patient.

This is the first death from influenza A/H5 in Vietnam this year. The source of infection for the patient is still unknown, nor is it clear which N antigenic origin of the influenza A/H5 virus he was infected with. Normally, Vietnam records H5N1 or H1N1.

Khanh Hoa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continuing to find the source of the infection in parallel with epidemiological investigation, isolating people who have been in contact with the patient to prevent the epidemic from spreading in the community.

83 people who had contact with the patient are being monitored for their health. They include three family members, six roommates, 60 classmates, 14 medical staff at the provincial general hospital and six medical staff at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. The dormitory building of Nha Trang University where the patient lives, the examination and treatment areas, and the patient transport vehicles are being sprayed with disinfectant chemicals.

According to epidemiological investigation, the male student started feeling sick on March 11, and took medicine on his own without any improvement. Four days later, he returned home to Ninh Hoa town, came into contact with his mother and sister, and was examined at the Ninh Hoa town Medical Center 2 and diagnosed with acute pharyngitis and laryngitis, and monitored for dengue fever. The doctor recommended hospitalization, but the patient refused and asked to return home for outpatient treatment.

The next day, the patient had a high fever, abdominal pain around the navel, and loose stools. He was admitted to Ninh Hoa Regional General Hospital, where doctors diagnosed an intestinal infection and warned of sepsis. On March 17, the patient was transferred to Khanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital. Tests at the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang showed positive results for influenza A/H5.

The patient was isolated and treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a coma, blood pressure near zero, and on a ventilator.

Influenza A/H5 is an infectious disease caused by avian influenza viruses and transmitted to humans. This group of viruses includes the hemagglutinin antigen H and the neutralizing antigen N (Neuraminidase). There are 15 types of H antigens, recorded as H1 to H15 and 9 types of N antigens, recorded as N1-N9. Depending on which H and N strain is infected, the patient is recorded as having that strain.

Avian influenza in humans can cause respiratory infections, ranging from mild fever and cough to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (difficulty breathing), shock, and even death. Patients may also experience conjunctivitis (red eyes), gastrointestinal symptoms, and encephalitis of varying degrees.