Vietnamese ducks with flu

New bird flu outbreak suspected in Vietnam after 100 ducks die suddenly

The Associated Press Published: September 4, 2006

HANOI, Vietnam More than 100 ducks have died suddenly in southern Vietnam in a suspected new bird flu outbreak, an official said Monday. Another 400 ducks were culled and samples were sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Regional Veterinary Center for testing to determine whether the H5N1 strain of bird flu was responsible for the deaths discovered on Friday, said Tran Van Quang, deputy director of the animal health bureau in Dong Nai province. "When more than 100 ducks died suddenly, we treated it as a bird flu outbreak," Quang said. Vietnam had not reported any outbreaks in poultry this year until the virus was detected through random testing in a handful of poultry in southern Ben Tre province last month. Vietnam has not reported any human cases in nearly a year. Authorities urged farmers to vaccinate about 80,000 ducks in the province, and farmers were given until the end of October to stop raising them. All ducks discovered after the deadline will be destroyed, Quang said. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung over the past month has issued a series of decrees urging local governments to step up efforts to prevent a bird flu resurgence, as flare-ups have been reported in Vietnam's neighboring countries. Bird flu ravaged poultry farms in Asia in late 2003. It also jumped to humans killing at least 141 people worldwide. Most human deaths have been traced to contact with sick birds. Experts fear the bird flu virus may mutate into a form that can easily spread among people, possibly sparking a pandemic. HANOI, Vietnam More than 100 ducks have died suddenly in southern Vietnam in a suspected new bird flu outbreak, an official said Monday. Another 400 ducks were culled and samples were sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Regional Veterinary Center for testing to determine whether the H5N1 strain of bird flu was responsible for the deaths discovered on Friday, said Tran Van Quang, deputy director of the animal health bureau in Dong Nai province. "When more than 100 ducks died suddenly, we treated it as a bird flu outbreak," Quang said. Vietnam had not reported any outbreaks in poultry this year until the virus was detected through random testing in a handful of poultry in southern Ben Tre province last month. Vietnam has not reported any human cases in nearly a year. Authorities urged farmers to vaccinate about 80,000 ducks in the province, and farmers were given until the end of October to stop raising them. All ducks discovered after the deadline will be destroyed, Quang said. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung over the past month has issued a series of decrees urging local governments to step up efforts to prevent a bird flu resurgence, as flare-ups have been reported in Vietnam's neighboring countries. Bird flu ravaged poultry farms in Asia in late 2003. It also jumped to humans killing at least 141 people worldwide. Most human deaths have been traced to contact with sick birds. Experts fear the bird flu virus may mutate into a form that can easily spread among people, possibly sparking a pandemic.