Vietnamese health officials said today they suspect a nurse who cared for a bird flu patient has contracted the disease that has killed 46 people across Southeast Asia.

The grandfather of two siblings infected with bird flu in Vietnam has also has contracted the virus but has shown no symptoms of the disease that has killed 46 people in the region.

VIETNAMESE officials confirmed yesterday that a 69-year-old man has died from bird flu, the 14th person to die from the disease this year.