Vietnamese health authorities today confirmed that a man who recently returned from a trip to the United States was the country's first case of swine flu, according to dpa. Dr Nguyen Van Chau, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Health Department, told press Sunday afternoon that a 23-year-old Vietnamese man studying in the United States who returned to Vietnam on May 26 tested positive for the A(H1N1) swine flu virus. The newspaper Tuoi Tre reported Sunday there had been 188 passengers traveling on the patient's flight, United Airlines Flight 869, which landed in Ho Chi Minh City on May 26. Authorities said 133 of the passengers were staying in Ho Chi Minh City, while the other 55 were staying in southern provinces. Chau said his department asked local authorities to quarantine the passengers for 7 days to prevent the spread of the disease. Chau said his department had taken samples from five people who had been in contact with the patient. None tested positive for A(H1N1). According to the World Health Organization, 53 countries had reported 15,510 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 99 deaths as of May 29. Since Friday, six additional countries, including Vietnam, have reported their first cases.
