September 2, 2004

More Bird Flu-Related Poultry Deaths In Vietnam

Vietnam has reported that bird flu recently killed nearly 300 fowls in northern Hai Duong province and central Quang Tri province. The virus has almost disappeared in Vietnam's southern localities.

"After testing specimens from affected poultry, we confirm that bird flu had struck a quail-raising household in Hai Duong's Tu Ky district on August 20, as well as a chicken-raising family in Quang Tri's Hai Lang district on August 19," Bui Quang Anh, director of Vietnam's Department of Animal Health, said at a press briefing here on Wednesday.

Bird flu killed 200 quails out of a flock of 2,500, and a number of chickens out of a flock of 100. He added that local agencies and residents had culled the unaffected fowl to prevent potential spread of the disease.

In late March 2004, Vietnam declared an end to a bird flu outbreak that had killed 17 percent of its poultry population, and claimed 16 human lives since last December. A total of 43.2 million fowls nationwide either died or were culled. The local poultry industry had suffered direct losses of 1.3 trillion Vietnamese dong (82.8 million US dollars).