February 11, 2010

Bird flu strikes Vietnamese provinces

After a long period of containment, bird flu is now spreading rapidly in many Vietnamese provinces, the Department of Animal Health (DAH) said on Monday (Feb 8).

The provinces of Ca Mau, Ha Tinh, Dien Bien, Soc Trang, Kon Tum and Quang Tri have all reported cases of bird flu infection in the last 21 days.

Quang Tri is the latest province to confirm a bird flu outbreak in Trieu Phong district, in which 400 birds have been culled in a farm, and the province carrying out measures to prevent any further spread of the disease.

DAH asked these provinces to step up their preventive measures and vaccination campaigns, during the Tet holiday when demand for poultry products increasing.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, has urged provinces and cities to oversee the slaughtering of cattle and poultry in certain places and ban the sales of cattle and poultry products of unknown origins.

In addition, the Ministries of Health, Industry and Trade, Transport and Public Security will increase food hygiene and safety inspections, conduct fact-finding tours of localities, especially big cities, and strictly control transport of animals and animal products.