February 1, 2005

Vietnam sees more bird flu outbreaks

Vietnam has found 38 more spots in five provinces affected by avian influenza on Sunday, according to the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

These spots belonged to 18 communes of 18 districts of the Mekong delta provinces of Tien Giang and Long An, the southwestern province of Tay Ninh, the central province of Quang Nam, and the northern province of Hai Duong.

Bird flu had earlier hit Kien An district in the northern city of Hai Phong, killing and forcing the culling of around 100 chickens.

However, it has not broken out in the northern province of Ha Nam and the southern province of Binh Phuoc for 21 days and in the Mekong delta province of Hau Giang, the southernmost province of Ca Mau and the southern province of Binh Duong within the past 16-19 days.

Meanwhile, 69 communes of 11 towns and districts in the Mekong delta province of Long An have been affected by avian influenza, which has killed and forced the culling of over 35,000 poultry. Thirty-three communes of six towns and districts of Bac Lieu, also a Mekong delta province, have also suffered from bird flu, which has killed nearly 130,000 chickens thus far.