Avian influenza A/H5N6 virus appears for the first time in Vietnam
According to the announcement of the Department of Animal Health (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), through active monitoring, a number of cases of A/H5N6 influenza were detected in chicken flocks in Trang Dinh district, Lang Son province and in duck flocks in Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province. This is the first time the A/H5N6 influenza virus has been recorded in Vietnam.
The results of gene sequencing tests of A/H5N6 influenza virus samples detected in Vietnam showed 99% similarity to the A/H5N6 influenza virus strain that caused the first human infection and death in Sichuan province, China in April 2014 and in poultry in the area where this patient lived.
According to the World Health Organization, this is a highly virulent virus strain and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, so monitoring and surveillance of the development of this new virus strain must be carried out closely to respond promptly when an outbreak occurs in poultry. This virus strain has been detected in flocks of wild ducks and birds in Sweden, Germany, the US, Taiwan... Last July, in Laos, poultry samples were also found positive for AH5N6 influenza but did not cause clinical disease in poultry.
To proactively prevent and control A/H5N6 influenza from spreading from poultry to humans, the Ministry of Health has just issued an urgent dispatch requesting the People's Committees of provinces and cities to direct the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to strengthen monitoring, investigation and early detection of avian influenza outbreaks; closely coordinate with relevant units to prevent smuggling, strictly control the transportation and trade of poultry and poultry products; promptly notify the health sector of the avian influenza situation to coordinate in monitoring and early detection of A/H5N6 influenza cases in humans.
According to VOV
