Vietnam´s testing indicated that a 14-year-old girl from northern Thai Binh province has been infected with bird flu virus strain H5N1, while her elder brother was earlier confirmed to contract it.

    The rapid testing on Feb. 27 showed that samples from the girl named Nguyen Thi Ngoan, who was admitted to the Tropical Disease Institute in Hanoi capital on Feb. 25, were tested positive to thevirus, according to sources from Vietnam´s National Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute (NHEI), which tests samples from suspected cases of bird flu infection from the northern region.

    The NHEI´s testing on Feb. 24 indicated that her 21-year-old brother named Nguyen Sy Tuan has contracted H5N1, the sources said,noting that its initial testing on Feb. 26 showed that a 36-year-old man from Thai Binh province is also a bird flu patient.

    The NHEI and relevant local health agencies are probing into epidemiological factors to identify the right cause of infection of the three bird flu patients.

    Of the three patients, who are now being treated at the Tropical Disease Institute, Tuan and his sister are in very critical conditions, a local doctor said, noting that they ate goose meat before exhibiting bird flu symptoms.

    Now, the NHEI is examining monkeys which were vaccinated against H5N1 to see whether vaccines produced by it are really effective or not, the sources said, noting that the animals are still healthy. The institute has recent found that its vaccines are effective on mice and chickens.

    In the most recent outbreak starting from Dec. 16, 2004, Vietnam has detected 20 local people to contract H5N1. The country´s Health Ministry has confirmed that 12 local people have died ofthe disease since December.

    Bird flu, which has killed and led to the forced culling of more than 1.5 million fowls in 35 cities and provinces in the country since January, is cooling down. By Sunday, 14 out of the 35 localities have detected no new bird flu-affected spots for at least three weeks, according to Vietnam´s Department of Animal Health.