The deceased victim from Cao Lanh district’s Tan Hoi Trung commune had tested positive for A/H5N1 virus at the Pasteur Institute in HCM City. The child passed away on April 4. The cause of the infection has not yet been identified. 

The boy was said to watch his relatives slaughter a chicken in early April. After displaying initial symptoms of a runny nose that progressed into a high fever, he was sent to a communal healthcare centre.

A respiratory syndrome diagnosis and district hospital admission soon followed, but the child died two days later.

Local authorities and relevant agencies are taking preventive measures against the spread of the deadly virus.

Rigorous sterilisation was conducted in suspected areas to minimise the chances of any outbreaks.

VOV