Vietnam's central Quang Nam province announced Wednesday that bird flu has broken out in its territory.
Quang Nam announced the outbreak although it has yet to receive conclusion whether over 1,500 fowls in its three districts of Thang Binh, Que Son and Nui Thanh have died of bird flu virus strain H5N1 or not, the provincial People's Committee said, noting that the poultry died en masse in recent days.
The committee Wednesday instructed relevant agencies to step up anti-bird flu activities, including the reinforcement of publicity among local residents about the danger of bird flu among poultry and the risk of human-to-human transmission, the acceleration of vaccination of some 4 million fowls in the province, the enforcement of bans on additionally raising duck flocks, transporting infected fowls, and selling dishes made from poultry' s fresh blood.
Also on Wednesday, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mai Ai Truc, went to Quang Nam to instruct and inspect anti-bird flu measures taken by the province, the committee said.
According to the departments of Agriculture and Rural Departments of northern Hai Duong province and central Nghe An province, over 1,300 chickens and ducks have died in the two localities over the past few days. Specimens from the fowls are being tested for H5N1.
Hai Duong's department said 1,250 fowls died in the two districts of Chi Linh and Thanh Ha. According to Nghe An's department, 57 chickens died in Nam Dan districts.
Vietnam's Minsitry of Agriculture and Rural Development early this week confirmed that bird flu, since early last month, broke out in nine communes of six cities and provinces, namely Bac Lieu, Dong Thap, Quang Nam, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa and Hanoi, killing and leading to the forced culling of nearly 20,700 fowls.
Previous outbreaks starting in December 2003 killed and led to the forced culling of some 46.6 million fowls in Vietnam, causing losses of 3.5 trillion Vietnamese dong (US$221.5 million), the ministry said.
Up to 92 Vietnamese people have been infected with bird flu since the disease started to appear in the country in late 2003. Of them, 42 have died.