Bird flu, pig disease return to Mekong Delta as weather cools

Bird flu is recurring in the Mekong River Delta as the weather turns from hot to cold in the last months of the year, according to the region's animal health officials.

The Animal Health Department on Thursday said of the 300 ducks on a farm in Tra Cu District, Tra Vinh Province, five dead ducks had been tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus.

The flock had come from different places, and had not yet been vaccinated.

Local veterinary workers culled infected water fowl immediately after the blood test results, and quarantined the affected area to prevent the spread of the virus.

The National Steering Committee for Avian Flu Control and Prevention is urging provinces and cities nationwide to promote vaccinations for poultry to stem the spread of the virus.

Bird flu broke out in Viet Nam in May, ravaging provinces across the country. In September, Tra Vinh Province was the last locality in the Mekong region to be declared free of the virus.