Fifth bird flu death in Vietnam

A 35-year-old woman died of bird flu in southern Vietnam, the country’s fifth death from the virus in three weeks, officials said today.

The woman from Tra Vinh province died Tuesday at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, said Huynh Thanh Liem, deputy director of Tra Vinh provincial Preventive Medicine Centre. She died after spending a week breathing with a respirator.

Liem said the woman developed high fever, coughing and lung failure four days after she was hired by a neighbour to slaughter sick ducks for sale.

Some of the ducks were eaten by members of her family, but none showed signs of the disease, he added.