Bird flu has resurfaced in poultry in northern Viet Nam after many
months without any cases, killing ducks and chickens at 2 farms, a
state-run newspaper reported on Sunday [28 Dec 2008].
Animal health officials confirmed on Saturday [27 Dec 2008] the H5N1
virus had killed several birds among a flock of more than 100 ducks
in Thai Nguyen city, 80 km (50 miles) north of Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh
City Communist Youth League-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said.
Officials had also detected the virus in dead chickens at a farm in
the same city, and nearly 4200 chickens had been slaughtered to
prevent the virus from spreading, the report said without giving a
time frame.
Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan said this week that there was
a very high risk of bird flu returning during the winter and spring
[2008-2009] in northern Viet Nam. The H5N1 strain seems to thrive
best in low temperatures.
Five Vietnamese have died of bird flu so far this year [2008] out of
6 reported H5N1 infections, and all were found in northern Viet Nam
during the 1st quarter of the year.
The H5N1 strain has killed 247 people globally among the 391
confirmed cases of infection since 2003, according to the World
Health Organization.
Viet Nam has 106 infections, the 2nd highest number of cases among 15
countries with known human cases after Indonesia.
[Byline: Ho Binh Minh]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[The epizootic of HPAI H5N1 in avians has been circulating in Viet
Nam since December 2006, the most recent (22nd) follow-up report
submitted to the OIE on 27 Nov 2008. In total, 184 outbreaks have
been reported throughout the said period. A summary, including a map
of the resolved and continuing outbreaks, is available at
<http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=4158>.
The seasonal pattern of the disease can be seen in OIE's WAHID
time-series analysis (insert Viet Nam for country) at
<http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=country_disease_time_series&disease_id=15&disease_type=Terrestrial&selected_analysis=tot_new&selected_start_month=6&selected_start_year=2006&selected_end_month=12&selected_end_year=2008>.
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