January 10, 2007

 

Bird flu hits fourth province in Vietnam

 

 

Vietnam on Tuesday reported another occurrence of bird flu outbreak in another province, dealing a blow to hopes that a recent reappearance of the deadly H5N1 virus could be contained quickly.

 

Tests on Tuesday confirmed that 70 dead ducks in two separate farms in southern Kien Giang province died of H5N1, the fourth province to be hit by the dreaded disease, said Hoang Van Nam, director of the epidemic unit of Vietnam's Animal Health Department.

 

Overall, bird flu affected areas have already reached 41 communities in four provinces, according to Nam.

 

The other provinces are Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang, all in the southernmost region of Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

 

The Kien Giang outbreaks were in ducklings that were hatched illegally, defying Vietnam's strict ban on raising new ducks, stated Dinh Cong Than, director of Kien Giang's Animal Health Department.

 

Than is wary of the authorities' failure to control illegal hatching of birds in these areas which can result to massive outbreaks in the province.

 

The four affected provinces this month launched a new programme to vaccinate 1.5 million ducks and chickens in an effort to halt the renewed spread of H5N1, one year after Vietnam first brought the virus under control.

 

The government has also ordered strict inspections, new vaccinations and a ban on transporting poultry in an attempt to prevent a return to the days of widespread infection of poultry and dozens of human deaths from bird flu.

 

Since 2003, Vietnam has seen 42 people die from bird flu infections. The virus also wiped out more than 100 million Vietnamese chickens and ducks.

 

No human deaths from bird flu have been confirmed in the latest H5N1 outbreak, but its re-occurrence in poultry has raised fears as millions of Vietnamese traditionally slaughter chickens during the upcoming Tet Lunar New Year holiday.