May 3, 2013
Vietnam culls swifts after bird flu hits
Authorities in central Vietnam culled nearly 10,000 swifts after samples of dead birds tested positive for the type A H5N1 influenza virus.
The birds account for nearly 10% of the stock at the Thanh Binh facility in Phan Rang city of Ninh Thuan province, Dan Tri newspaper reported, quoting the Local Animal Health Agency.
Authorities were planning to cull all remaining birds at Thanh Binh and two other nest farms where H5N1 had been found, VietNamNet reported.
Experts and farmers have criticised the plan, calling for more time to examine the virus transmission mechanism, and pointing to the potential cost to the farmers.
Ninh Thuan province has many so-called bird houses, where swifts are encouraged to build their nests, which are then collected for sale. The nests, made largely of the birds' saliva, are a sought-after ingredient for soup and other delicacies.
On April 30, Vietnam confirmed a 12-year-old girl died after contracting the H5N1 virus, bringing the country's fatalities from the virus this month to three.
In China, more than 20 people have died from a new strain, H7N9, which has not been recorded in Vietnam. While there is no official information that the deadly bird flu virus H7N9 has entered Vietnam from China, local poultry farmers are affected by the low prices as chicken consumption fell after news of H7N9 in China broke out.
