Vietnam on high alert of avian influenza virus intrusion

(VNF) - The A/H7N9 and A/H5N1 avian influenza viruses may enter Vietnam through poultry smuggled from China and Cambodia and wild birds, an official from the Ministry of Health (MoH) has said.

During a press conference in Vung Tau city, southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on March 21^st, Dr. Pham Hung, Head of the Office for Infectious Diseases Control from the Department of Preventive Medicine, said the A/H7N9 virus has hit Chinese localities and the A/H5N1 virus was spotted in Cambodian provinces, which border Vietnam.

Meanwhile, as of March 14^th, outbreaks of A/H5N1 and A/H5N7 flu were detected in fowls in Vietnam.

Handling the infected poultry farm of Vo Thanh Trung in Ha Tinh. (Source: VNA)

Dr. Hung raised the need to intensify monitoring the smuggling of poultry via transit markets and tracks and expanding supervision at localities bordering China and Cambodia as well as poultry and poultry product wholesale markets.

He also warned people traveling to outbreak-affect localities and those who worked with poultry to reach health care facilities as soon as showing symptoms.

He asserted that the toughest challenge in controlling the H7N9 virus is unobvious symptoms in affected livestock.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has strengthened supervision in markets and centres trading poultry, but no infections have been found, he said.

Monitoring activities will also be expanded among the communities especially that along the border with China and Cambodia, while equipment, medicine and human resources have been prepared to deal with the outbreak of the virus, said Dr. Hung.

So far, Vietnam has recorded four A/H5N1 outbreaks in nine households in four provinces and two A/H5N6 outbreaks in two provinces in the last 21 days.

One A/H5N1 outbreak was found in a household in An Thanh commune, Ben Cau district, the southern province of Tay Ninh with 500 sick, dead birds culled. Five others were detected in Hoa Long commune, Bac Ninh city, the northern province of Bac Ninh with 6,100 sick and dead fowls culled.

The northern province of Cao Bang has reported one A/H5N1 infection in Tra Linh district with 1,360 sick and dead fowls and an A/H5N6 outbreak in Cao Bang city with 150 sick fowls killed.

The central province of Ha Tinh has one A/H5N1 infection in a household in Ky Bac commune, Ky Anh district, in which 520 birds were culled.

The A/H5N6 avian flu also was found at a household farm from March 9^th-17^th, leading to the culling of 200 sick and dead fowls in Nai Cuu hamlet, Trieu Ai commune, Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province.

The Department of Animal Health under MARD urged all localities to proactively prevent and control poultry flu virus and strengthen their supervision and punishment over poultry smuggling while monitoring their local community to promptly detect and handle any emerging outbreaks./.

Compiled by VNF