December 22, 2006

More bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam's Mekong Delta

Vietnam's first outbreak of bird flu since August has spread to four more areas in the Mekong Delta, killing more than 8,300 birds, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Three outbreaks between Dec 11 and Dec 20 in Ca Mau province killed over 2,500 chickens and ducks, while one in neighbouring Bac Lieu province killed dozens, the ministry's Animal Health Department said in a report on Thursday.

The outbreaks were the first in Vietnam since August. The initial outbreaks killed around 6,000 newly hatched chickens and ducklings that were not vaccinated.

Vietnamese animal health officials said on Wednesday that temperatures were falling in the southern region, helping to spread the virus.

The Mekong Delta outbreaks caused health officials in nearby Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest city, to tighten inspection of poultry and step up monitoring of breeding farms, state media reported.