Disease in the News

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Bird Flu Kills Duck Farmer In Vietnam And Toddler In Cambodia

There are several diseases that are listed in the new right now, but the one that caught my eye was the Bird Flu also known as the Avian influenza. The Bird Flu was a disease that I have heard about but never really knew what it was and how it attacked the body. The article that I read was about two victims that had the disease and died. Medical News Today reported a farmer in Vietnam and toddler in Cambodia of being killed by the Bird Flu. The Vietnamese died on January 11th, 2012. The farmer had ducks in the Mekong delta province of Hau Giang. The investigators have not confirmed that he was killed by the birds. The toddler from Cambodia died on Wednesday which is claimed to be the 17th person in Cambodia to die from the bird flu.

There are claims of treatment for the toddler by the World Health Organization. The boy came from Banteay Meachey Province and his symptoms started on January 3, 2012. He was admitted to the hospital on the 9th and was treated with the vaccine known as Tamiflu. Staff that came in contact with the toddler has been offered the vaccine and the staff has been tested and there are no reports of anyone being positive. Reports are stating that he may have caught the virus from eating poultry from his home. There are no mentions of the Vietnamese man being treated for his sickness.

The article provides a national and global perspective on the Bird Flu. The article states that the National and local Rapid Response Teams are investigating the outbreak using national protocol, which comes from WHO. The Vietnamese authorities have been notified that the situation is under control. AFP reports a doctor named Le Mink Hung from the Health Department of Ho Chi Minh City, states that teams have been sent to check on the conditions in southern Vietnam.

Media News Today reports that WHO says that in most cases of the human infection H5N1 have been connected to direct or...