A recent test showed that bird flu still existed in northern Cao Bang province, the last locality of Vietnam facing the disease, local newspaper the Saigon Liberation reported Tuesday.

Specimens taken on Dec. 29, 2005 from poultry in Doc Lap commune of Quang Uyen district were tested positive to bird flu viruses. Local relevant agencies have culled 290 chickens and ducks in the affected areas.

Since Nov. 2005, bird flu cases have been spotted in 25 communes in Cao Bang, killing and leading to the forced culling of nearly 11,000 fowls, the newspaper report said. Except Doc Lap, all other communes have seen no new outbreaks for at least three weeks.

On Monday, the Department of Animal Health under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Ha Giang and Cao Bang in the northern region on Sunday became Vietnam's last two provinces meeting criteria for declaring their territory free of bird flu (detecting no new outbreak for at least three weeks).

The department has yet to confirm the new outbreak in Cao Bang.

Since Oct. 1, 2005, a total of 21 cities and provinces of Vietnam have been hit by the disease, which has killed and led to the forced killing of roughly 4 million fowls, the department said.

The Vietnamese government has instructed the Agriculture Ministry and the Health Ministry to make greater efforts to lead to no bird flu reoccurrence among poultry and humans in 2006.

Recently, the government instructed the Agriculture Ministry toremove a ban on the import of processed poultry products, which was in place in late October 2005. The government is considering the possibility of abolishing a ban on the import of live fowls and eggs from unaffected countries.

In late October 2005, the Agriculture Ministry decided to cease import of all kinds of poultry, including ornamental birds, and related products between November 2005 and March 2006.