Vietnam finds BF in poultry from China

Vietnam finds bird flu in poultry from China 06 Apr 2006 02:04:58 GMT Source: Reuters

HANOI, April 6 (Reuters) - Vietnam has found the deadly bird flu virus in chickens smuggled from China, the first case in poultry since December, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday.

The Vietnam Economic Times reported that the Animal Health Institute said tests confirmed the presence of the H5 virus component in chickens seized in northern Lang Son province, 154 km (96 miles) north of Hanoi.

The paper said further bird flu tests were under way on samples taken from 40 smuggled chickens seized in Quang Ninh province, which also borders China.

Vietnam is tightening measures to prevent a resurgence of bird flu by imposing more strict border controls, officials said on Wednesday. They said Vietnam, which has the highest toll worldwide from the disease, saw threats from an increase in smuggled chickens from China.

The country of 83 million people has not recorded a human case of avian flu since November 2005. The World Health Organization has confirmed 42 deaths in Vietnam since avian flu struck Southeast Asia in late 2003.