November 4, 2005

Vietnam, China find new bird flu cases in poultry
 

Vietnam and China each confirmed new bird flu outbreaks and warned of more infections to come.

 

The latest Chinese outbreak-the fourth in the past three weeks in the world's most populous country-killed almost 9,000 chickens on Oct 26 in Badaohao, Liaoning province, east of Beijing, and prompted authorities to destroy 369,900 other birds, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday, citing the Agriculture Ministry.

 

The outbreak came despite efforts to tighten controls on China's 5.2 billion chickens, ducks and other poultry. Beijing created an anti-flu task force this week and an RMB2-billion (US$250 million) fund to pay for anti-disease work.

 

In the latest anti-bird flu measure, Beijing ordered hospitals to report data on flu cases daily to the government, Xinhua said.

 

No human cases have been reported in China, but authorities warn it is inevitable if the government cannot stop repeated outbreaks in poultry.

 

In Liaoning, local television showed health workers in masks, gloves and protective suits dumping white plastic sacks filled with dead chickens into a landfill.

 

"Basically the outbreak is under control now. But the culling is not complete," said local official Chen Jinsheng, adding that the area would be kept under observation for 21 days.

 

In Vietnam, more than 3,000 poultry died or were culled this week in three villages in Bac Giang province, about 60 kilometres north-east of Hanoi, provincial vice chairman Nguyen Dang said Friday.

 

Vietnamese officials have banned the transport of poultry to or from the three affected villages, and the villages and those around them have been disinfected and poultry have been vaccinated, said provincial chairman Nguyen Dang Khoa.

 

Hoang Van Nam, deputy director of the Animal Health Department, said more bird flu cases are likely.

 

"We expect more outbreaks, not just in Bac Giang, but also in other provinces," he said. "Cooler weather now makes it easier for the virus to spread." November to March is when Vietnam has reported most of its bird flu cases and deaths.

 

Vietnam began vaccinating its 150 million poultry flocks in early August, but a shortage of vaccines imported from China may delay the program's completion by two weeks.

 

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 62 people-including 41 in Vietnam-and resulted in the deaths of more than 100 million birds in Asia since 2003.