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Tu Tan Thu, the department spokesperson, said the infected patient Truong Phu Son, born in 1990, lives in Thanh Hoa province and is temporarily residing in a house in Phu Loi ward, Thu Dau Mot town.

After enjoying the Lunar New Year holiday, Son returned to Binh Duong to work in late February. On February 17, he had high temperatures and breathing difficulty, and was admitted to Vu Cao hospital in Di An town for treatment.

He was transferred to a military hospital and then HCM City Hospital for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Diseases as his respiratory health was deteriorating.  

Blood samples later showed that Son was infected with A/H5N1 – a lethal strain of the avian flu virus.  Son was quarantined for special treatment in intensive care.

On February 25 the Binh Duong Preventive Medicine Centre and HCM City Pasteur Institute dispatched specialists to the two local hospitals where Son was treated to examine those who had contact with the patient.

They also quarantined those who had contact with Son in his rented house in Phu Loi Ward and disinfected the area with chemicals.

Thanh Hoa is one of the more than 10 localities across the country affected by bird flu outbreaks.