July 31, 2007 

Bird flu wanes down in Vietnam

The Vietnam Animal Health Department said swine and bird flu outbreaks are "cooling down" as previous infected provinces have not reported any occurrences in 21 days.

The department said the northern provinces of Ninh Binh had been declared bird flu free. Three provinces are still plagued by bird flu - Dien Bien in the north, Quang Binh in the center and Dong Thap in the Mekong Delta region.

A province is declared bird flu-free after it goes 21 consecutive days without a new case, according to the ministry.