July 28, 2006

Laos reports bird flu in poultry farm near Vientiane

Bird flu has been found in about 2,500 chickens that died on a farm near the Laotian capital of Vientiane last week, but the type of flu has not been determined yet, a Laotian official said Thursday (Jul 27).

Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalansy confirmed a report on the website of the Vientiane Times newspaper that the Lao government's National Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Committee on Jul 18 had confirmed that the chickens died of bird flu.

The results of laboratory tests to determine whether it was the virulent H5N1 virus are expected in a week or two, he said.

The committee's statement said 2,580 chickens were found dead at the farm in Xaythany district, 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Vientiane, according to the newspaper. It said the same farm experienced a bird flu outbreak in 2004.