March 8, 2007

Bird flu hits another Vietnam northern province

Bird flu has struck Ha Tay province in the north, killing 550 chickens at a farm in Thach That district.

The fowls, which had not been vaccinated against the disease, were tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, said Bui Quang Anh, Director of the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The provincial Veterinary Bureau has already culled all infected fowls, and disinfected the farm to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, he said.

According to Anh, there is still a high risk of avian influenza recurrence and localities should tighten the supervision work to timely detect and wipe out any outbreaks in order to prevent the disease from spreading to a larger scale, as in previous years.

Also at the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked localities to immediately inform poultry breeders and consumers when the disease appears in their areas.

Phat, who is also Head of the Central Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control, also revealed that an additional 20 million doses of bird flu vaccines will arrive for this year's first round of vaccination.

The country will import enough vaccines for the vaccination of poultry flocks in all provinces and cities by the end of March, he said.