Vietnam has announced it has contained bird flu among humans and fowls, local newspaper Saigon Liberation reported Friday.

The Vietnamese Health Ministry said Thursday no new human cases of bird flu infection have been spotted in the country since Oct. 14, 2005. It had confirmed 66 cases, including 22 fatalities, in 25 cities and provinces since December 2004, bringing the total respective numbers since December 2003 to 93 and 42.

The Animal Health Department under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Thursday the country has contained bird flu among poultry. Ha Giang and Cao Bang in the northern region on Sunday became the last two provinces of Vietnam meeting criteria for declaring their territory free of the disease (detecting no new outbreak for at least three weeks), it noted.

However, a recent test showed that bird flu still existed in Cao Bang, said the paper dated Jan. 10. Specimens taken on Dec. 29, 2005 from poultry in Doc Lap commune of Quang Uyen district were tested positive to bird flu viruses. Local relevant agencies have culled 290 chickens and ducks in the affected areas.

Since Oct. 1, 2005, a total of 21 cities and provinces of Vietnam have been stricken by bird flu, which has killed and led to the forced killing of roughly 4 million fowls.

The Vietnamese government has recently instructed the two ministries to make greater efforts to prevent bird flu reoccurrence in 2006.

Source: Xinhua