Health officials in Vietnam have reported a severe case of H5N1 avian flu in an 8-year-old girl, marking the first human infection of 2025 in the country. The child, from Tay Ninh province, exhibited symptoms of encephalitis, including fever, headache, and vomiting, which began on April 11. She was initially treated at a local hospital, but when her condition worsened, she was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on April 13, where she was diagnosed with encephalitis.
Although tests on her respiratory samples were negative for H5N1, a test on her cerebrospinal fluid came back positive for the virus, with confirmation from the Pasteur Institute. The girl, who has a history of heart problems and had surgery for a ventricular septal defect at two months old, remains on a ventilator in stable condition. Authorities revealed that she had been in contact with a flock of poultry at her grandmother’s home, where several birds died two weeks prior to her illness.
While infections of H5N1 affecting only the central nervous system are rare, there have been similar cases, such as in 2004, when two siblings in Vietnam exhibited neurologic symptoms without respiratory issues. The specific strain of H5N1 involved in this case is still unknown, but scientists have raised concerns about a reassortant H5N1 virus circulating in the region. The last human case in Vietnam occurred in December 2024.
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