Vietnam reports new human bird flu case

Hanoi: Officials say Vietnam has reported a new human case of bird flu as a conflict in Hanoi illustrated the challenges that health authorities confront as they try to prevent the spread of the virus.

According to officials at a hospital in the northern province of Quang Ninh, a 23-year-old woman from northern Vietnam has tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the second human case reported in the country this year. She has been hooked to a respirator since being admitted five days ago, said hospital deputy director Nguyen Quoc Hung.

Authorities, meanwhile, said Sunday more than 100 villagers in a district just outside Hanoi prevented authorities from destroying the chickens that had been smuggled in from China.

The melee erupted on Thursday.