"We took 65 samples of people who had contact with the patient for A/H5N1 virus testing and the results were negative," he said. "They are in normal health. It’s not clear how the girl was infected."
The patient is now suffering from kidney failure, multi-organ failure, and septic shock. She is receiving intensive treatment at the Hanoi-based National Children's Hospital.
According to the girl's family, they had consumed home-raised sick chickens and muscovy ducks about a week earlier.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong requested medical authorities nation-wide to closely watch out for avian flu cases and issue prevention measures to prevent human infections.
A report from the ministry shows that Vietnam had recorded 128 human A/H5N1 infections since 2003, and 64 people, nearly 50 percent, died from the disease. In 2014, there were two infections in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap, and both of them died.
Infected patients show symptoms including fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, and tiredness. The symptoms can become severe quickly and cause deaths.
Meanwhile, avian flu has been reported among poultry in many localities nationwide, especially during changing seasons. People are advised not to consume food made from sick and dead poultry, as well as poultry products of unknown origin.