Bird Flu Spread Accelerates in Vietnam
Recombinomics Commentary
January 19, 2005
>>Vietnam has just detected outbreaks of bird flu in additional 22 communes, raising the total number of communes hit by the disease to 160.
Since Jan. 1, bird flu has affected 18 cities and provinces, mainly in the southern region, killing and leading to the forced culling of more than 296,000 poultry, local newspaper Youth on Wednesday quoted the country's Department of Health as saying.<<
The spread of bird flu this month in Vietnam has been accelerating in the past week. The number of dead or culled poultry was reported at 130,000 on Jan 12, 254,000 on Jan 17, and now 296,000. These deaths combined with bans on imported poultry will reduce the supply of poultry for Tet Lunar New Years Celebrations.
The high frequency of H5N1 asymptomatic ducks however suggest some ducks infected will enter the food supply, so testing of suspect cases should be a high priority, including those who are in a new demographic grouping, such as the three suspect bird flu cases in the north.
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