Vietnam's Health Ministry confirmed that a 40-year-old man from northern Hai Duong province died on Feb. 13 after four days of treatment in Hanoi, local newspaper Young People reported Thursday.

The man slaughtered two dead chickens for meal before exhibiting bird flu symptoms early this month. He was admitted to the city-based Tropical Diseases Hospital on Feb. 8 when his lung and kidneys were damaged.

Some chickens have died around his house over the past few weeks, the newspaper said.

Late last month the ministry confirmed that a 32-year-old ethnic man named Tran Van Dong from northern Tuyen Quang died from bird flu on Jan. 18. His specimens were tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1. He slaughtered and ate dead fowls raised by them for meal.

In late December 2007, after detecting no human cases of bird flu infections for nearly four months, the ministry confirmed that a four-year-old boy from northern Son La province died from bird flu on Dec. 16, 2007.

Vietnam has confirmed a total of 103 human cases of bird flu infections, including 49 fatalities, since the disease started to hit the country in December 2003.

Vietnam currently has two localities having poultry being hit by bird flu: northern Thai Nguyen and central Quang Binh province, according to the Department of Animal Health under the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country, the department said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2008)