The A/H5N1 virus is reportedly spreading among flocks in the central province of Ha Tinh and the southern province of Ca Mau.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan said every effort must be made to stop the epidemic, otherwise it would surely spread to other provinces in the Mekong Delta, especially since this is a time of migration.

So far, more than 3,300 poultry birds in Ca Mau province and nearly 700 in Ha Tinh province have been incinerated. Dam Xuan Thanh, Deputy Head of the MARD’s Animal Health Department, said that most of the infected poultry had not received vaccinations.

Tan said the department should cooperate with local authorities to find a way to stamp out the virus.

Meanwhile, Ha Tinh’s vice chairman Tran Minh Ky said that the province has set up check-points to prevent the transportation and slaughtering of poultry flocks in areas hit by bird flu.

Ky said that the province’s poultry flocks would continue to be vaccinated. However, households need to cooperate with authorities and inform them about their poultry so that they can receive timely vaccinations.

Trinh Van Thuan, who owns the largest bird-flu contaminated duck flock in Thanh Quy commune, Ha Tinh province, said his birds also tested positive for the virus.

Nguyen Van Nuoi, head of the Contagious Disease Department at Ha Tinh General Hospital, said that just after the outbreak of avian flu in the province, health officers had started identifying people who had had direct contact with flu-infected birds, so that they could receive testing and treatment.

PV