May 28, 2007

Bird flu spreads in Vietnam's northern region

The havoc of bird flu has been spreading in the northern province of Ninh Binh in Vietnam, bringing the country's total number of provinces affected by the virus to nine, according to the country's Veterinary Department on May 27.
 

The Vietnam News Agency reports that nearly 250 birds were found dead at a farm in Ninh Khang commune, Hoa Lu district of Ninh Binh province, 100 kilometres south of Ha Noi.

The rest of the almost 2,000-strong flock were culled after a specimen tested positive for H5N1, the department added.

Bird flu has already occurred in the provinces of Nghe An, Nam Dinh, Son La, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang and Dong Thap and the cities of Hai Phong and Can Tho.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently asked localities nationwide to speed up surveillance of the disease, to discover and stamp out outbreaks in time, and quickly complete vaccination programmes against the disease.