Vietnamese nurse has bird flu

A 26-year-old Vietnamese nurse who cared for a patient with bird flu in northern Vietnam has contracted the deadly virus, doctors said today. It is not yet clear if he contacted the virus from the patient for sick poultry. If he did contact if from human transmission, then the ramifications would be disastrous, as human-to-human transmission of the disease could cause a major pandemic in the region. However, local doctors downplayed the possibility, noting that the nurse lived in a commune heavily impacted by bird flu. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture says bird flu has abated, with 17 out of 35 hit provinces reporting no new outbreaks for at least 21 days. (Agence France Presse March 7).