Some waterfowls in several Vietnamese southern localities have been infected with bird flu viruses, local newspaper Young People reported Friday.

Among the localities, the three provinces of Ben Tre, Long An and Tien Giang have seen most of the specimens testing positive to the viruses, including the strain H5, the paper quoted sources from the Regional Veterinary Center in southern Ho Chi Minh City as saying.

In Ben Tre alone, 15 out of 22 specimens from two flocks of nearly 1,800 ducks were tested positive to H5.

On Thursday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked localities nationwide to mobilize forces and take synchronous measures to prevent potential outbreaks of the disease.

Vietnam has also placed a temporary ban on import of live poultry and related products from countries hit by the disease, fostered management and inspection of transport, slaughtering, trade and import of fowls and related products, and enforced the existing ban on raising fowls in inner areas of major cities.

Bird flu outbreaks, starting in Vietnam in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls. The last outbreak of bird flu among poultry in the country was in December 2005, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Source: Xinhua