January 12, 2007

Bird flu infection spreads to fifth Vietnamese province

Bird flu has reached another province in southern Vietnam, spreading to flocks in two new areas in as many days, as animal health experts fear the virus will begin sweeping northward, officials said Thursday (Jan 11).

Some 20 unvaccinated chicks died suddenly over the weekend at a farm in Vinh Long province, and test results came back positive for the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, said Nguyen Thanh Mot, deputy director of provincial department of animal health.

Authorities slaughtered 10 chicks at the small backyard farm and dozens more in the neighbourhood, he said. The area was also disinfected, he said.

Over the past month, bird flu outbreaks have been reported in five southern Mekong Delta provinces in the country's first reported outbreaks in a year. Kien Giang province reported its first outbreak on Wednesday. More than 30,000 birds have died or been slaughtered since the virus resurfaced in December.

"It will spread to the entire country," said Hoang Van Nam, deputy director of the Department of Animal Health. "Outbreaks will occur in places where vaccination and disinfection work were not properly conducted."