December 22, 2005

Vietnam sees new bird flu outbreaks 

Vietnam's central Quang Nam province has been hit by bird flu, raising the number of affected localities to 22 since early October, according to the local media Dec 22.

Bird flu samples in three communes of the Thang Binh and Nui Thanh districts tested positive for the pathogenic strain H5N1, the provincial People's Committee vice-chairman Nguyen Ngoc Quang said.

The committee will cull all poultry in the three communes to prevent the disease from spreading.

However, suitable locations for burying the poultry have not been found as many areas have been flooded with rainwater and river water.