July 25, 2005

Vietnam culls another 600 bird-flu chickens
 

Vietnam has culled another 600 bird flu-infected chickens in the southern Ben Tre province. 

The country will also start vaccinating poultry against the virus, including the pathogenic strain H5N1, in northern Nam Dinh province and southern Tien Giang province next month, and expand the vaccination program to other high-risk areas by October this year.

Vietnam will cull all infected waterfowl to prevent the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Last month, a flock of 6,700 chickens in the province was culled due to contracting to the virus. 1.5 million fowl nationwide had been killed or culled nationwide so far this year after bird flu outbreaks in 35 cities and provinces.

Vietnam's Preventive Medicine Department has also that confirmed that 60 people have been infected with the bird flu since December last year, of whom there are 19 casualties. However, there has been no new human reported human infection since Jun 4.