Tests done on the dead birds were positive for the H5N1 virus A, he said.

Local authorities immediately decided to cull the entire flock and spray decontaminants in the surrounding areas.

This is the first bird flu outbreak to occur this year in Ca Mau Province.

Human bird-flu infections may rise in Asia as people handle more poultry for Lunar New Year celebrations, according to a United Nations veterinarian who tracks the virus in birds.

Reported by Tran Thanh Phong