Vietnam Swine Flu: U.S. Invasion?

5 Swine Flu cases confirmed in Vietnam
June 05, 2009, as at 5pm local time (GMT+7) today, Vietnamese authorities reported another new case of Swine Flu (A/H1N1) virus. A 41-year old Vietnamese-American woman from the U.S. state of Texas was diagnosed late this afternoon. This brings the number of positively diagnosed swine flu cases in Vietnam in the past week to 5.

Student brings H1N1 home for holidays
According to a VnExpress article quoting the Director of Ho Chi Minh City Health Department, Mr. Nguyen Van Chau, Vietnam’s first positive case of swine flu was diagnosed in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on 31 May. A 23-year old Vietnamese national studying in the U.S. state of Wisconsin returned to Vietnam for the summer holidays.

Traveling on United Airlines flight 869 via Hong Kong, the man was detected with flu-like symptoms at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International airport. He proved positive after testing and became Vietnam’s first confirmed case of Swine Flu. It is not known if any other passengers or crew on this flight have shown any flu-like symptoms.

Second case in Vietnam in two days

Only a day later, on June 01, VnExpress published an article quoting information from Vietnam’s International Health Quarantine Center stating that a 41-year old Vietnamese-American-woman from Los Angeles and her 8-year old son had been diagnosed positive with the swine flu virus.According to the VnExpress article, the pair had arrived in Vietnam via South Korea on May 26 and began to show signs of the flu on May 30 and 31.

In this latest case, the woman had arrived in Vietnam her six year old daughter on May 29 aboard flight OZ 731 from Incheon, South Korea. The pair were staying in southern Dong Nai province when the child became ill and yesterday was diagnosed positive to the Swine Flu virus. The mother’s confirmed positive diagnosis followed today. Authorities are monitoring all 171 passengers and crew from this flight.

Vietnamese authorities appear Confident
Vietnamese authorities appear confident they can successfully detect, monitor and contain any possible swine flu outbreak. With no positive cases yet reported outside Ho Chi Minh City and adjacent Dong Nai province, authorities are focused on detection at international gateways, especially those traveling from or through North America, Europe, Australia and Japan.

No swine flu deaths in Vietnam
Vietnamese authorities have not disclosed the number of suspected cases being monitored, but it is believed to be in the dozens rather than the hundreds. With 5 confirmed swine flu cases, all traced to the U.S., Vietnam has reported no deaths to date.