Bird Flu still a risk
Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) The avian flu virus, or bird flu, that hit Asia a few months ago, is still present in Vietnamese poultry, posing a potential danger, veterinary officials admitted. Samples from 10,000 poultry throughout Vietnam have been recently tested and "many of these samples were positive to the H5 virus, though scientists are unable to identify its particular strain." Nguyen Van Thong, deputy director in the agricultural ministry informed.
With 16 people dead from the disease, Vietnam was the worst hit in of the eight Asian countries struck by the H5N1 strain of the bird flu.
On March 30, authorities declared that the flu had been eradicated after a 90-day infection period, despite warnings from United Nations experts that it was acting prematurely and recklessly.
Though there have been no major recurrence of the virus, the government announced another outbreak in May, insisting, however, that it was under control.
"Avian flu can come back easily if we don't take all the necessary measures," Mr. Thong stated.
Anton Rychener, country head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, said he had been told of the situation, adding that UN agencies had long before warned authorities of such risks. Hanoi was widely criticized for its lack of cooperation with the World Health Organization and other agencies in dealing with the bird flu, who recommended that farmers wait at least 3 months from the last infection date before restarting production. Farmers began to restock immediately and have already started production.
More than 44 million poultry died or were slaughtered across Vietnam early this year as a result of the disease.
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