Laboratory tests have confirmed an additional three cases of H5N1 bird flu in Vietnam, all of which were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The newly confirmed cases are a 6-year-old child, a 24-year-old man, both died on Feb. 3, and a 23-year-old man, who remains hospitalized, the Geneva-based organization said.

To date, human cases have been reported in Vietnam and Thailand. Vietnam has reported 18 laboratory confirmed cases, 13 of which were fatal, while Thailand has reported five laboratory confirmed cases, all of which were fatal.

It can be anticipated that human cases will also be detected in other countries where outbreaks in poultry are spreading, the WHO said.

Although evidence to date suggests that the H5N1 strain is not easily transmitted from poultry to humans, the WHO said influenza viruses are genetically unstable, their behavior cannot be predicted, and the present situation could change very quickly.

The WHO urged measures to be carried out quickly to eliminate the disease in poultry because these measures could also reduce opportunities for human exposures and infections.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2004)