Vietnam has just found that a middle-aged person from its capital city of Hanoi was infected with bird flu virus H5N1, the Vietnam Central Television reported Wednesday.

    After having conducted many tests, the Tropical Disease Institute in Hanoi on Wednesday concluded that samples from its 43-year-old (WHO updates quoted as 42-year-old)patient were tested positive to H5N1. Since being admitted to the institute on Jan. 13 with symptoms of high temperature and damaged lungs, the patient has felt better.

    The patient have not had contact with fowls or lives in bird flu-hit areas, the television said, noting that the patient took care of the patient´s elder brother who died of pneumonia on Jan. 9.

    The patient´s brother, who lived in northern Thai Binh province,had symptoms of bird flu infection. However, samples from the 45-year-old man were tested negative to H5N1.

    On Jan. 18, the institute received a suspected case of bird fluinfection. The patient is 25 years old from northern Vinh Phuc province. The patient often buys chickens in northern Ha Tay province and then sells them in Hanoi.

    The 25-year-old patient is in stable health condition. The patient had received treatment for damaged lungs in the Vinh Phuc Hospital for one week.

    Vietnam´s Ministry of Health confirmed that the country detected six human cases of bird flu infections, including five fatal ones, between late December 2004 and Jan. 18.

    Since Jan. 1, bird flu has stricken 21 cities and provinces nationwide, killing and leading to the forced culling of some 330,000 fowls, the television said.

    In late March 2004, Vietnam declared an end to the bird flu that had killed 17 percent of its poultry population or 43.2 million fowls. To date, the disease has killed 25 people in the country.