Vietnamese province struck by bird flu

Bird flu is occurring in the northern province Bac Ninh of Vietnam, raising the total number of affected provinces in the country to six, according to the Department of Animal Health (DAH) of Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Monday (March 15).

The bird flu struck a local farm of Bac Ninh province, causing 200 fowls out of 400 die, DAH said, noting that samples of death fowls were tested positive to the H5N1 virus.

The local animal health bureau and authorities have been taking measures to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus to nearby areas. These measures include slaughtering infected animals and sterilising the affected areas and their neighborhood.

Amid a number of bird flu outbreaks in the country, MARD's deputy minister Diep Kinh Tan asked the provincial agencies to start a new round of vaccinating poultry in March and closely monitor free-range ducks in Mekong Delta provinces to contain bird flu.

Currently, Vietnam reports six provinces nationwide hit by bird flu including three southern provinces namely Ca Mau, Khanh Hoa and Ben Tre, one central province of Nghe An and two northern provinces of Tuyen Quang and newly-reported Bac Ninh, said the DAH.