AFD - Vietnam

[sharon sanders]

Vietnam Continues To See Low Level Bird Flu Activity



# 2077

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

In June of 2007 Vietnam was in the middle of a major outbreak of bird flu among poultry, and as many as 18 provinces were affected.

There were fears, expressed by the Health and Agriculture Ministries earlier this year, that they might see a repeat performance this June.

That, thankfully, has not happened.

Two provinces are currently reporting outbreaks; Quang Ngai and southern Tra Vinh.

Interestingly, this article also mentions that scientists are studying up to 30 variants of the virus, taken from local poultry and wild birds.

Exactly what constitutes a `variant' isn't stated, so it is a bit difficult to ascertain how newsworthy that revelation really is.

Hopefully we can get some clarification of this statement soon.

Vietnam reports additional bird flu-hit province
www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-17 12:16:54

HANOI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province has been stricken by bird flu, raising the number of affected localities to two, local newspapers reported Tuesday.

Bird flu has killed 690 chickens raised by a household in Son Tinh district since June 12, People newspaper said, noting that Quang Ngai and southern Tra Vinh province are being hit by the disease.

Bird flu outbreaks are cooling down in Vietnam, but still making complicated changes, Vietnam Economic Times newspaper quoted Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong as saying.

Vietnam should keep on carrying out anti-bird flu activities atboth central and local levels, and intensifying the disease-related research, he said.

Vietnam is probing into over 30 variants of bird flu virus H5N1taken from affected poultry and wild birds.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country. 　

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 7:36 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Vietnam: New Outbreak Of Bird Flu In Long An Province Reported




# 2145


Compared to this time last year, Vietnam is having a far easier time of it with bird flu outbreaks in 2008.

At it's height last summer, 18 provinces were reporting bird flu and by the end of July of 2007, Vietnam would have recorded its third fatality of the year.

This year, fears of the return of massive outbreaks have not materialized.

Still, a low level of activity persists, and questions remain over the prevalence of asymptomatic birds carrying the virus.

This report from Xinhua news.

Vietnam reports bird flu-hit chicken in southern province
2008-07-16 12:52:51

HANOI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Specimens from dead chickens in Vietnam's southern Long An province have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, according to local newspaper Youth on Wednesday.

Tests by Vietnam's Regional Animal Health Center No. 6 have shown that some chickens of a 3,000-fowl flock raised by a household in Can Duoc district were infected with bird flu, the newspaper quoted Duong Minh Phi, deputy head of the province's Veterinary Bureau, as saying.

Chickens in the flock started to die 10 days ago after developing bird flu symptoms, he said.

The Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has yet to confirm the bird flu outbreak in Long An. Now, only southern Tra Vinh province is being hit by the disease, the department said.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 8:14 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Vaccinated Chickens Dying Of Bird Flu?




# 2149


Well, maybe . . .

First the news report, then some discussion.

Vaccinated chickens in Vietnam die of bird flu

Posted : Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:56:02 GMT

Hanoi - Hundreds of chickens at a poultry farm in southern Vietnam died of avian influenza even though the owner of the farm reported the birds were vaccinated against the disease, an official said Thursday.

Several hundred of the 3,000 chickens died at a farm in Tan Lan commune in the Long An province, 50 kilometres west of Ho Chi Minh City, since late June. Last week they were tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, said Dinh Van The, head of the province's Animal Health Department.

The owner of the farm reported to the department that all the birds in the farm had been vaccinated against bird flu, he said.

"We suspect that the owner of the farm was not honest in his report, or the vaccine used at the farm was of bad quality," The said. "We are investigating the case."

Poultry vaccine against the H5N1 virus is generally made from the less pathogenic H5N2 virus, or sometimes, another H5 variant.

In the past couple of weeks we've heard warnings from Hong Kong over fears their vaccine is losing effectiveness, and presumably, that could be happening elsewhere as well.

Hong Kong expert warns flu vaccine for chickens losing efficacy

Jul 8, 2008, 4:19 GMT
Hong Kong - A vaccine used to stop outbreaks of the deadly bird flu virus in chickens in Hong Kong for the last seven years is losing its effectiveness, a leading microbiologist warned Tuesday.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the vaccine, which protects chicken from the H5 strain of the virus, is becoming less effective and the city risks further outbreaks because total failure is inevitable.

While there have been scattered reports in the past of vaccinated flocks succumbing to the H5N1 virus, in the cases I've seen it was always attributed to improper vaccination techniques, or a false claim that the poultry had been vaccinated.

As this report from Vietnam states, they are investigating those possibilities.

So it is too soon to draw any conclusions.

If this turns out to be a genuine failure of the vaccine, however, it could be a serious blow to many country's bird flu containment and control programs.

Time will tell.

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 9:19 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Vietnam: Third Province Reporting B2B Bird Flu Outbreak



# 2164



Compared to this time last year, Vietnam is having a much easier time of it dealing with bird flu outbreaks. Today there are only 3 provinces reporting outbreaks, while a year ago, that number was in the teens.

The latest province to report an outbreak in poultry is Nghe An.


This from Xinhua News.

Bird flu hits one more Vietnamese province
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-22 15:44:27

HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Bird flu has stricken Vietnam's central Nghe An province, raising the total number of affected localities in the country to three, according to a local veterinary agency on Tuesday.


Bird flu has, since July 18, killed 30 chickens and 160 ducks raised by a household in Nghi Loc district, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, adding that Nghe An and the two southern provinces of Dong Thap and Tra Vinh are being hit by the disease.


Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 8:46 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Friday, August 01, 2008

<!-- Begin .post -->Vietnam: New Outbreaks Of Bird Flu In Poultry




# 2196


While Vietnam has seen far fewer outbreaks of bird flu this summer, compared to last year, they still continue to see sporadic infections.

Despite the hyperbole in the headline below, only 2 provinces are currently reporting bird flu outbreaks; Dong Thap and Nghe An.

Vietnam continues to battle a variety of human and animal diseases, including Blue Ear Disease, which affects pigs but not humans.

Bird flu explodes in southern province

14:28' 01/08/2008 (GMT+7)



Burying pigs in Thua Thien - Hue.

VietNamNetBridge ? Bird flu was discovered in a flock of 1,000 chickens in the southern province of Dong Thap on July 31, reported the Veterinary Agency.

With this new discovery, bird flu is currently in two provinces, Dong Thap and the central province of Nghe An.

Twelve provinces and cities in Vietnam have blue ear epidemic in pigs. This disease is spreading its wings in the central province of Quang Nam. Local authorities have decided to buy 20,000 doses of blue ear vaccine.
Another central province, Thua Thien-Hue, has said it will allocate VND270 million ($15,900) to prevent this disease. So far, the province has culled more than 1,800 pigs.

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 7:18 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Vietnam: Third Province Reporting B2B Outbreak




# 2205


The incidence of bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam continues to remain low this summer, with now three provinces currently reporting outbreaks; Dong Thap, Nghe An and Quang Ngai

Last summer, at its height, there were 18 provinces affected.

Still, in Vietnam - like many countries where the virus is endemic- the virus threat never seems to go away.

Bird flu hits one more Vietnamese province

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-05 17:05:04



HANOI, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Bird flu has stricken Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province, raising the total number of affected localities in the country to three, according to a local veterinary agency on Tuesday.


Late last month, bird flu killed 70 ducks and sickened 150 others raised by a household in the province's Binh Son district, whose specimens have recently been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, adding that the whole duck flock has been culled.


Now, bird flu is hitting southern Dong Thap province, and Nghe An and Quang Ngai in the central region.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.

posted by FLA_MEDIC @ 6:38 AM

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Vietnam Detects `New Strain' Of H5N1




# 2258




According to the Vietnam News Service, a new (for Vietnam) strain of the H5N1 virus has been detected within their borders, one they have named `Seven'.


They surmise that this `new' strain was brought in via smuggled poultry from China.

Given the level of testing being done, it would be difficult to pinpoint how long this `new' strain has been circulating in Vietnam. Additionally, from the description provided, it isn't clear exactly what strain of the H5N1 virus this article is talking about.

Hopefully we'll get more details soon.


A hat tip to Dutchy on Flutrackers for posting this link.

Deadly H5N1 strain detected

(27-08-2008)

HA NOI ? A strain of the H5N1 virus that poses a high risk of infecting humans and caused an avian flu epidemic in China, has appeared in smuggled poultry in Viet Nam according to Bui Quang Anh, the head of the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development?s Animal Health Department yesterday.


The infection mechanism of this highly infectious strain of the H5N1 virus, named seven, had not been found so far, Anh said.


"We are studying more about this strain in our poultry and will soon know the results," said Nguyen Van Cam, the director of the Central Animal Diagnosis Centre.


The avian flu strain that has typically appeared in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has been strain one, while the Song Hong (Red River) Delta has seen strain two, three and four with unknown infection mechanisms.


To prevent the strain from being spread, 242 million doses of H5N1 vaccines and 15 million of doses of H5N2 vaccines have been distributed to the localities, according to the department.


At this volume, just 76.5 per cent of poultry will be vaccinated.


Localities have typically neglected taking samples of poultry after being vaccinated. Only three out of 27 provinces that have undergone bird flu epidemics collected samples to test.


Some Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces with a high volume of poultry infected with the H5N1 virus include Vinh Long at 9.25 per cent, Tra Vinh with 8.97 per cent, Soc Trang with 5.32 per cent and Long An with 5 per cent.


Anh said that more vaccines were being prepared. ? VNS

Posted by FLA_MEDIC at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/08/vietnam-detects-new-strain-of-h5n1.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2008-08-27T08:32:00-04:00">8:32 AM</abbr>

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

Vietnam Reports Bird Flu Outbreak In Ducks



# 2332



Compared to last year, Vietnam has reported far fewer outbreaks of bird flu over the summer. Still, the virus remains endemic in that country, and outbreaks, particularly in ducks, keep occurring.

This from the Bangkok Post.

Bird flu recurs in Vietnam

Hanoi (dpa) - Vietnamese authorities have detected the H5N1 avian flu virus in a flock of ducks on a farm in the southern province of Ca Mau, a government official said Friday.

Hoang Van Nam, deputy director of Vietnam's Animal Health Department, said inspectors had found on September 22 that bird flu had killed more than 50 of 500 ducks on a Ca Mau farm.

All the ducks at the farm were ducklings under 45 days old, and had thus not been vaccinated yet, Nam said.

Authorities have culled all the ducks at the farm.

"Bird flu occurs occasionally in Vietnam," Nam said. "We cannot extinguish it, but only limit its spread."

On September 7, the Animal Health Department announced it had detected bird flu in a flock of 600 ducks on a farm in the southern province of Ben Tre, adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Nam, bird flu outbreaks have been detected in 26 Vietnamese provinces since the beginning of 2008, killing 5 people and forcing authorities to cull more than 60,000 ducks.

H5N1 mainly affects poultry and wild birds, but can infect humans who have close contact with sick fowl. Scientists fear that if it spreads unchecked, the disease could mutate into a form which could be transmitted between humans, leading to a worldwide pandemic that could kill millions.

Bird flu has infected 105 people in Vietnam and killed at least 51 of them since it first appeared in the country in late 2003.

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - Vietnam

October 6, 2008
Vietnam: Two Provinces Reporting Bird Flu Outbreaks



# 2367


Earlier in the year there were many warnings that Vietnam faced another chaotic summer dealing with the bird flu virus. By March of 2008, Vietnam had recorded 5 human infections for the year, with all 5 proving fatal.

Luckily the much fear resurgence of the H5N1 virus that many predicted for last summer never occurred.

Why, exactly? No one really knows.

Certainly the government's efforts to educate the public, and vaccinate poultry and waterfowl, were factors.


Vietnam has reported a low-level of activity, rarely exceeding 3 provinces at any given time, over the past few months. Today, they are reporting outbreaks in just two provinces.

Bird flu hits another province in Vietnam
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-07 10:57

HANOI -- Bird flu has stricken Vietnam's central Nghe An province, killing about 300 ducks, said an official with the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday.The ducks raised by a household in the province started to die recently. The specimens collected from the dead ducks have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, said the unnamed official.

Local health department have slaughtered all the fowls in the affected spot and disinfected this area to guard against any further outbreaks of bird flu.

Now, bird flu is hitting two Vietnamese province, including Ca Mau and Nghe An.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.