Bird flu hits Vietnamese capital Hanoi

Bird flu has stricken Vietnam's capital Hanoi over the last few days, raising the total number of current affected localities in the country to four.

The disease killed 1,150 out of 1,300 chickens in two farms in Dong Anh district, the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Wednesday.

Specimens from the fowls, which had not been vaccinated against the disease, have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, said the department.

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

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