Risk parameters of fulminant acute respiratory distress syndrome and avian influenza (H5N1) infection in Vietnamese children.

A clinical picture of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) has been reported. We reviewed 37 sets of clinical data for pediatric patients with ARDS at the National Hospital of Pediatrics (Hanoi, Vietnam); 12 patients with H5N1-positive and 25 with H5N1-negative ARDS were enrolled. The H5N1-negative patients had a clinical picture and mortality rate similar to that for the pediatric ARDS patients.

Influenza A H5N1 clade 2.3.4 virus with a different antiviral susceptibility profile replaced clade 1 virus in humans in northern Vietnam.

Background: Prior to 2007, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Vietnam were consistently reported to be clade 1 viruses, susceptible to oseltamivir but resistant to amantadine. Here we describe the re-emergence of human HPAI H5N1 virus infections in Vietnam in 2007 and the characteristics of the isolated viruses.

Methods And Findings: Respiratory specimens from patients suspected to be infected with avian influenza in 2007 were screened by influenza and H5 subtype specific polymerase chain reaction.