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| Veterinary officers in Tien Giang Province’s Tan Phuoc District vaccinate fowls and ducks at risk of avian flu.— VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue |
HA NOI — There is a high risk of re-occurrence of the bird-flu epidemic this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Dev-elopment’s Veterinary Department.
The warning follows an outbreak of the disease on 19 farms in Ba Thuoc District in central Thanh Hoa Province since December 28.
The sister of a girl infected with avian influenza type A/H5N1 died in the province last Friday.
The 13-year-old girl, Bui Thi Phuong, was from Dien Trung Commune where the latest outbreak occurred. She was taken to hospital with symptoms of fever, cough and difficult breathing, said her father Bui Van Hop.
Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, deputy director of Thanh Hoa health department, said she died quickly before any tests could be made.
Earlier, her 8-year-old sister, Bui Thi Thao, was tested positive for avian influenza type A/H5N1. She was hospitalised with fever, cough, sore throat and difficult breathing.
"After five-day treatment, she is recovering," said doctor Le Trong Dung, head of the infectious department of the Thanh Hoa Polyclinic.
Two weeks ago, both girls ate birds raised by their family. The birds are believed to have been diseased.
Thao was the first recorded human case of avian influenza type A/H5N1 in Viet Nam since last March.
Health ministry figures show that five people were infected with the H5N1 virus in 2008 – and all had died.
The Thanh Hoa veterinary department reported that the latest avian influenza strain had affected 380 fowls and led to the culling another 8,000.
To prevent the disease spreading further, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, has sent a circular to provinces and cities urging them to set up missions to frequently check on prevention and control measures and to make sure 100 per cent of the poultry are vaccinated.
He said steps should be taken to strengthen quarantine checks on poultry and other farm animals being transported before and after Tet, the lunar New Year festival.
And he called for publicity to warn people about the dangers of catching or spreading the disease.
Relevant agencies have been asked to set strict controls over the trade, transport, slaughtering and consumption of poultry.
The ministry on Wednesday approved spending VND120 billion ($7 million) nationally on poultry vaccination for the 2009-10 period.
Local authorities had promptly quarantined the area, culled sick fowls and kept an eye on all people relating to this case, said Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, director of the provincial health department.
"Local administrations have set up check-points and increased supervision on the transport and slaughtering of poultry in Dien Trung Commune," said Lo Van Len, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Thuoc District.
The Department of Preventive Medicine and Environment under the health ministry recommends people should not eat sick poultry and report all dead or sick birds to local authorities. They should also only eat cooked food, drink boiled water and wash their hands frequently with soap.
High-risk areas
The risk of bird flu returning to the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta is high now because the disease typically breaks out in winter, local authorities are unable to control free-range ducks.
The delta last year reported 34 bird flu outbreaks in Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang provinces and Can Tho Citythat saw 31,350 birds killed or culled.
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