Bird flu returns to Vietnam's Mekong Delta province

Bird flu has returned to Vinh Long Province located in the Mekong Delta, according to provincial animal health officials.     

The officials on Wednesday (May 13) discovered the H5N1 virus in duck samples.

The officials had tested samples from more than 200 ducks from Nguyen Van Thanh Commune in the province after the birds died between May 5 and 10.

The remaining 900 ducklings in the flock have been culled to prevent the virus from spreading. None of the 13-day-old ducks had been vaccinated.

Officials have begun tallying and vaccinating poultry in the commune and neighbouring Thanh Trung Commune.

Around 13 Vietnamese provinces have reported bird flu cases this year.