August 27, 2007

Bird flu hits poultry in two more Vietnam provinces

Bird flu has spread to two more provinces in Vietnam, killing hundreds of chickens and ducks, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday (Aug 24).

After a brief 21 day respite in July, bird flu outbreaks on farms were reported in August in the northern Cao Bang province last week.

The latest outbreak of H5N1 is in the northern province of Thai Nguyen and Dong Thap to the south

This means four out of a total of 64 provinces are on the bird flu watchlist currently.

A total of 150 ducks and 35 chickens fell sick on Wednesday in Thai Nguyen, 80 km north of Hanoi, and tests have confirmed they had the H5N1 virus, the ministry's Animal Health Department said in a report.

The virus also struck a farm in the southern Mekong delta province of Dong Thap where the virus killed 250 chickens.

Bird flu has infected seven people in Vietnam this year, four of whom have died, the government said.