WHO Confirms Human Infection of Avian Influenza in Vietnam: "Risk Level is Low"

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a confirmed case of human infection with the low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) virus in Vietnam.

According to WHO and Yonhap News on the 22nd (local time), Vietnamese health authorities notified a human infection case of the H9N2 virus on the 9th.

The infected individual is a 37-year-old male who was found to have lived near a poultry market. The man is currently in critical condition and hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to underlying health conditions. However, WHO explained that no additional infection cases, such as cluster outbreaks, have been reported in the patient's residential area following the confirmation of H9N2 infection.

WHO stated, "This patient is the first confirmed human infection case of the H9N2 virus in Vietnam," but also concluded that "the risk posed by the H9N2 virus to the surrounding community is at a 'low level.'"

H9N2 is a common type of influenza in birds but can also infect mammals.

However, its fatality rate is much lower compared to highly pathogenic avian influenza. WHO reported that since 2015, there have been 99 human infection cases of H9N2, with 2 deaths among them.