January 5, 2007

 

Vietnam's Mekong Delta provinces wage war on bird flu

 

 

Provinces in the Cuu Long or Mekong Delta are making an all-out effort to prevent the spread of bird flu that broke out in the region last December and still threaten nearby areas.

 

Provincial animal health agencies in Hau Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau have already vaccinated some 700,000 birds in the past month following several outbreaks in the three areas.

 

The latest bird flu incident involved 34 chickens three days ago in Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province.

 

The province plans to vaccinate 600,000 more new poultry this month with Long My province already receiving 15,000 doses of vaccines, provincial agricultural director Nguyen Van Dong said.

 

Bird flu has already struck 25 communities in 11 districts in the southern provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Hau Giang, resulting in the culling of nearly 24,000 birds.

 

The department warned that the disease was likely to recur in other areas across the country, particularly in the north where unscrupulous trading of poultry with dubious origin is uncontrolled.

 

Some 180 out of 500 ducks in Hoa Binh District and another flock in Phuoc Long District both tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus strain although they had been inoculated twice.

 

The provincial People's Committee said it would compensate farmers for each bird culled. They would receive US$1.24 for each breeder duck or chicken, US$0.93 for each lean duck or chicken more than two months old and US$0.62 for those less than two months old.

 

Authorities in An Giang Province have ordered a ban on transporting and trading poultry along the Vietnam-Cambodia border.

 

The threat of a bird flu outbreak remained high in Dong Thap Province, particularly in the two border districts of Tan Hong and Hong Ngu where hundreds of young waterfowls have not been vaccinated or tested.

 

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said massive activities such as disinfection, vaccination and poultry culling will be done on the provinces to completely contain the virus and stop it from spreading to humans.