Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Vietnam: Bird flu heads south

VietNamNet Bridge – Every effort is being implemented to prevent the continuous spread of the A/H5N1 virus in the two provinces of Ca Mau and Ha Tinh's flocks, after thousands of affected birds have been culled.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan yesterday, January 26, said that if they did not put efforts into stopping the avian flu in these two provinces, it would surety spread to other provinces in the Mekong Delta, especially since this was a time of migration.

So far, more than 3,300 birds in Ca Mau Province's Thoi Binh and Tran Van Thoi districts and nearly 700 in Ha Tinh Province's Cam Xuyen District and Ha Tinh City had been incinerated.

Dam Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the ministry's Animal Health Department, said that most of the affected poultry had not received vaccinations.

Tan said that the department should co-operate with local authorities to find the best solutions to stamp out the virus.

Tran Minh Ky, deputy chairman of the Ha Tinh provincial People's Committee, said that the province had set up check-points in the communes to prevent the transportation and slaughtering of poultry flocks in areas with A/H5N1 flu.

Ky said that the province's poultry flocks would continue to be vaccinated. However, it was necessary for the households to co-operate with authorities to inform them about their poultry, including new ones, so that they could get timely vaccinations.

Trinh Van Thuan, in the province's Thach Quy Commune, the owner of the largest A/H5N1-contaminated duck flock, also tested positive for the virus.

Nguyen Van Nuoi, head of Contagious Department at the province's General Hospital, said that just after the break-out of avian flu in the province, health officers had observed the people who had direct contact with the A/H5N1 flu-contaminated birds, so that they could receive testing and treatment.

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