The northern province of Bac Ninh – a gateway to the capital city of Hanoi – is put on alert after bird flu has spread across a number of its localities. The provincial People’s Committee announced the deadly A/H5N1 virulent strain was found on thousands of ducks raised by local farmers in Yen Phong and Tien Du districts, Tu Son town and Bac Ninh city. Local veterinarians quarantined and disinfected the affected farms and vaccinated all poultry. Check points have been established in high-risk areas to prevent the slaughtering, transport and trading of sick poultry. So far, more than 4,000 infected chickens and ducks in Bac Ninh have been culled. Experts warned of a high risk of a bird flu recurrence in Vietnam as there is an increasing consumer demand for poultry and its related products during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Cold weather also enables the deadly flu virus to spread far and wide. In addition, Vietnam’s northern border provinces are facing a high risk of the A/H7N9 avian flu epidemic which is sweeping across southern China. According to the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control, the A/H5N1 epidemic has occurred in Tien Giang, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ninh Thuan, Dong Thap, and Long An provinces. An Animal Health Department report shows 61.2% of poultry blood samples in traditional markets have tested positive for A/H5N1 virus. (Vov.vn Jan 19)
