July 16, 2004

Vietnam Confirms Bird Flu Outbreak In 9th province

Vietnam confirmed a bird flu outbreak in a southern province on Friday, bringing the number of provinces affected to nine.

On July 9, more than 400 poultry in a farm in Ba Ria Vung Tau province died or were culled, said the official from the provincial animal health department.

Test results of poultry samples released three days ago were positive for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu, he said. Authorities have quarantined and disinfected the farm, the official said, adding there have been no new outbreaks in the province since then.

Vietnam has culled nearly 50,000 poultry in recent weeks after earlier bird flu outbreaks were confirmed in central Quang Ngai province and seven other southern Mekong Delta provinces.

Last week, the Veterinary Department under the Agriculture Ministry instructed strict inspection of poultry transported from affected provinces and ordered local governments in Ho Chi Minh City and other southeastern provinces to set up more checkpoints to ensure that only healthy poultry are allowed in.

An outbreak earlier this year in Vietnam killed or forced the cull of more than 43 million poultry and jumped to humans, killing 16 people.

A veterinary department official said on Friday that the department would try to contain the bird flu outbreak through quarantines, health inspections and farm disinfection. They have not yet killed migratory birds, which have also been blamed for the virus' spread.