Re: Vietnam: Human H5N1 Cases Feb 13+
Re: Vietnam: Human H5N1 Cases Feb 13+
Bird flu epidemic triggers red alert in Vietnam
A vendor sits next to a basket of cooked chickens in a street in downtown Hanoi on February 15 (PHOTO BY AFP)
Bird flu has recurred in seven Vietnamese provinces since January and is prone to spread further due to local residents and authorities? ignorance and neglect, public health officials told a meeting in Hanoi Tuesday.
Three more provinces - Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Tuyen Quang in the north - on Sunday were added to the bird flu watch list, which already included northern Thai Nguyen and Quang Ninh provinces, central Quang Binh Province and Long An Province in the Mekong Delta, the Animal Health Department said at the event organized by the National Steering Committee on Bird Flu Prevention and Control.In the last three days, bird flu outbreaks in the newly designated provinces hit around 2,500 birds, dozens of which perished, according to the department.
The infections occurred mainly in unvaccinated flocks, the agency said.
Within the last several days, scattered poultry deaths were also announced in northern provinces such as Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Ha Tay.
The department said in localities not yet placed on the watch list, residents threw dead fowls - including chickens, ducks and geese - into rivers and drainage, raising the likelihood of a widespread epidemic.
Local authorities and agencies, however, failed to detect, prevent and penalize violators.
The agency added that at this time, poultry, especially in the north, are highly susceptible to the bird flu virus since the cold weather decreases their immunity.
Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City, rampant selling of chickens and ducks yet to be quarantined occurs across the city.
The majority of the fowl originated from affected Long An Province adjacent to HCMC, according to the municipal Animal Health Agency.
Local authorities fail to detect the illegal trade since the perpetrators transported and sold poultry early each morning to escape scrutiny.
Truong Thi Minh Chau, deputy head of the municipal animal health watchdog, confirmed the city has around 100 sites where distributions of unsafe chickens transpire.
Urgent response
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong told local authorities to strengthen supervision on poultry vaccination and transportation of fowls from black-listed areas, and sterilize infected sites.
The ministry also plans to import some 250 million doses of bird flu vaccines for a nationwide chicken inoculation slated for April.
Last weekend Minister Cao Duc Phat had requested local authorities and farmers to take vigilant measures to keep bird flu under control.
Individuals and agencies would be penalized if bird flu broke out due to their irresponsibility, or if they fail to report outbreaks in a timely fashion.
Four people have been killed by the H5N1 virus since the beginning of the year.
Fifty Vietnamese in total have died from the disease since 2003.
Around the world, bird flu has killed at least 228 people among the 362 positive cases, according to the World Health Organization?s figures.
Reported by Quang Duan
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