2 More Human Deaths Blamed on Bird Flu
Vietnam reported two more bird flu deaths, bringing the human toll to nine in three weeks, as leaders of the World Health Organization in Geneva planned to discuss preparations for dealing with a possible global flu epidemic.
The deaths have prompted the WHO to sound alarm bells, especially because about 70% of those infected have died. The WHO fears the virus could mutate, allowing widespread human-to-human transmission. But there is no evidence of that yet. Human cases generally have been traced to direct contact with sick birds.
The latest victims were a 35-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy who died after slaughtering infected fowl, officials said.
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