Bird flu claims two more victims

Laboratory tests have confirmed that bird flu claimed the lives of two more people, bringing Vietnam’s death toll to eight, officials said today.

The latest cases were two sisters from northern Thai Binh province, who died last week, said Hoang Thuy Long, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemology. Thai Binh is 100 kilometres (60 miles) south-east of Hanoi.