First human case of avian influenza in Lao

A 15-year-old girl living in a suburb of Vientiane, the capital or the Lao People's Democratic Republic, was diagnosed with avian influenza H5N1, said the Ministry of Health. It is the first human case of bird flu in the country.

On 7 February an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry was confirmed in Laos. The Lao Ministry of Health reported that the girl developed influenza-like symptoms on 10 February, which were confirmed on 24 February, when the girl was already moved to a Thai hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.

The girl's exposure to sick poultry is unclear as she is undergoing intubation and cannot be interviewed.

Lao official organisations have been undertaking a number of measures such as control of poultry outbreaks, intensive surveillance of human illness and community awareness campaigns, in collaboration with the UN country team and various partners.

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Editor WorldPoultry