Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) - The Vietnamese health authorities have confirmed the news of another outbreak of bird flu in the north of the country with hundreds of infected chickens in a farm in the province of Hai Duong, 50 km east of Hanoi. The local veterinary health authorities confirmed that the strain is of the lethal virus H5N1.
To stop the virus from spreading hundreds of chickens have been culled, surrounding farms have been disinfected and all poultry transport is banned.
It is almost a year since the last outbreak of bird flu in the Mekong delta. The virus first appeared again at the end of 2006, but was reportedly under control by February.
This is not the first time that the Vietnamese government says it has controlled an out break of the deadly H5N1 virus which has killed 41 people in that country. However for a year no cases of human infection with the virus have been reported.
The Word Health Organisation said the most affected country in Asia is Indonesia, the fourth most populated country in the world, where 63 people died of the virus. (AP) (27/2/2007 Agenzia Fides; Righe:19; Parole:216)
