Bird flu goes to the south and central region

14:48' 09/04/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – Bird flu has been recorded in the southern province of Tien Giang and the central province of Quang Nam, announced Bui Quang Anh, Head of the Veterinary Agency.
In Tien Giang, the disease was found in a flock of 1,500 ducks in Phuoc Lap commune, Tan Phuoc district. These ducks had received the first vaccination on March 1.
In Quang Nam, bird flu attacked poultry in Nui Thanh and Tien Phuoc district, where 428 ducks, which were not vaccinated, died.
According to Bui Quang Anh, bird flu could appear on a small scale in other provinces where poultry is not vaccinated.
As blue ear epidemic is spreading very quickly, the Veterinary Agency on April 8 asked related provinces and cities to address their supervision and control of transport of livestock.
So far, nearly 70,000 pigs in the central region have caught blue ear and a record high number of nearly 54,000 pigs have been culled, strongly affecting the animal husbandry sector of the four provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Nam.
“The total number of ill pigs is approximately 70,000, equivalent to the figure of last July, when the blue ear epidemic boomed. However, the loss this time is three times more than last year because only 20,000 pigs were culled last July while it is 56,000 at present,” said Bui Quang Anh.