Bird Flu Linked To Human Deaths In Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam

Christmas Day saw the deaths of two young women believed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus :

In Egypt, a 25-year-old woman died Christmas day after being hospitalized on Dec. 21. The woman, from Bany Suwef Governorate, was the first case in Egypt since July, WHO officials said. The source of her exposure was being investigated.

Egypt has 39 confirmed cases of bird flu, with 16 of them fatal, since 2006.

In Indonesia, a 24-year-old woman from West Jakarta, also died Dec. 25 from bird flu. The woman developed symptoms on Dec. 14 and was hospitalized five days later. It was not immediately known how she contracted the virus.

Xinhau is reporting the death of a four year old child in the Son La province of Vietnam. The child was suffering high fever and pneumonia, two symptoms of bird flu infection :

The child ate a dead chicken before developing bird flu symptoms. Specimens from the child are being tested for bird flu virus strain H5N1, the representative told a meeting of the country's Anti-Bird Flu Steering Committee on Tuesday.

Vietnam has detected seven bird flu patients from the five northern provinces of Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Ha Nam and Ha Tay since May 10, of whom four died, according to the ministry's Preventive Medicine Department.