A flock of 800 ducks in Vietnam's southern Vinh Long province have been infected bird flu, according to a local veterinary agency on Thursday.

Specimens from the ducks in a farm in Tra On district, which had not been vaccinated against the disease, have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, said the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The provincial Veterinary Bureau has slaughtered all of the infected fowls, and detoxificated and disinfected the farm to prevent the disease's spread.

Bird flu reoccurred in Vietnam last December, hitting a total of 9 southern and 1 northern localities since then. Seven southern localities have seen no new bird flu outbreaks for at least 21 days, meeting criteria to announce the end of the disease in their territories.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country, said the department.

Source: Xinhua