March 8, 2010

Bird flu strikes Vietnamese province

A fresh outbreak of bird flu has been reported in central Khanh Hoa Province, killing nearly 10,000 birds.

Affected areas have been decontaminated and poultry incinerated, said a spokesperson from the provincial Animal Health Unit.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the latest outbreak has brought the number of provinces affected by the flu to six: Dien Bien, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Khanh Hoa, Soc Trang and Ca Mau.

The bird flu epidemic has continued to spread in these provinces, killing thousands of poultry since it re-emerged last December despite efforts to prevent contagion.

Last December, nearly 6,000 birds were contaminated with bird flu in southernmost Ca Mau Province alone. Infections spread to two more communes of the province this week, causing 600 affected birds to be culled and raising the total number of affected communes to ten.

There is a high risk of the flu spreading to other localities, especially in the Mekong Delta region as ducks migrated during harvest time, said MARD.

The ministry urged the provinces to increase efforts to combat and prevent the spread of the flu, and ensure more monitoring of transportation and poultry slaughterhouses.