Sept 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation has confirmed on its Web site that four people have died of bird flu in Vietnam since June. For Reuters story click on [ID:nB577090]. Of the 100 cases confirmed to date in Vietnam, 46 have been fatal. Worldwide, the virus has killed 199 people out of 327 known cases since it re-emerged in Hong Kong in 2003.
Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled. Following is a list of confirmed human cases of H5N1. Total cases include survivors. Deaths Total cases AZERBAIJAN 5 8 CAMBODIA 7 7 CHINA 16 25 DJIBOUTI 0 1 EGYPT 15 38 INDONESIA 84 105 IRAQ 2 3 LAOS 2 2 NIGERIA 1 1 THAILAND 17 25 TURKEY 4 12 VIETNAM 46 100 ------------------------------------------------- TOTAL 199 327 ------------------------------------------------- Initial tests usually take a day or two to confirm if someone has H5N1. More detailed testing by government laboratories or those affiliated with the WHO can take a week or more. The H5N1 virus remains mainly a virus of birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and sweep the world, killing millions. So far, most human cases can be traced to direct or indirect contact with infected birds.