Special report: Global fight against bird flu

    HANOI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A 30-year-old man from Vietnam"e;s northern Vinh Phuc province has been contracted bird flu, becoming the first human infection case in the country since late 2005, local newspaper Pioneer reported Wednesday.

    Initial test showed that the man from Me Linh district has been infected with bird flu virus strain H5N1, the paper quoted sources from the Bach Mai Hospital in the capital of Hanoi where he is being treated.

    The man was hospitalized nearly a month ago, after having fever, cough and breathing difficulties. Earlier, he killed chickens for his friend"e;s wedding party.

    With the new case, Vietnam has detected 94 bird flu patients, including 42 fatalities since the disease started to hit the country in December 2003.

    Now, the bird flu is hitting four Vietnamese provinces, namely Quang Ninh, Son La and Nam Dinh in the northern region, and Nghe An in the central, and southern Can Tho City, which killed or led to the forced culling of nearly 26,000 fowls, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.