HÀ TĨNH — An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza has been recorded in the northern Cao Bằng Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Veterinary Department announced.

The department said that around 700 ducks and chickens in two farming households in Cao Bằng City’s Ngọc Xuân Ward were infected and died.

The local veterinary agency and local authorities have culled around 2,000 infected poultry and implemented measures to disinfect the area where the outbreak has been reported, to prevent it from spreading further.

So far, the country has recorded six H5N1 and two H5N6 outbreaks, in Cần Thơ City, Cao Bằng, Vĩnh Long, Đắk Lắk, Quảng Ninh and Thừa Thiên Huế provinces, the department said, warning that the risk of bird flu outbreaks is very high in the near future.

Việt Nam has not recorded other strains of bird flu virus such as A/H7N9, A/H5N2 and A/H5N8, but the department is concerned that these viruses may enter the country through livestock being brought in illegally, especially from the northern border provinces.

All regions should implement preventive measures to prevent and contain bird flu, it said, urging locals to help by preventing the illegal poultry imports.

Though the foot-and-mouth disease and swine flu in pigs have been controlled, the department recommends that local authorities keep an eye out, especially in areas that have already seen outbreaks. — VNS