Vietnam's central Nghe An province, which detected an outbreak among fowls in early May, has faced a new one, a local veterinary official told Xinhua on Sunday.

Nearly 1,300 out of flocks of 3,800 ducks raised by three households in Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An, were found dead on May 9, the official from the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on condition of anonymity, adding that samples from dead poultry were tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5.

Earlier, specimens from ducks raised by a household in Dien Chau district, Nghe An were tested positive to H5. Among the flock of 610 ducks, 246 died from May 1-4.

Nghe An is the only locality in Vietnam currently being hit by bird flu, the official said. 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.

Vietnam is actively vaccinating fowls against bird flu viruses to prevent potential outbreaks, the official said, noting that a total of 111 million poultry in 60 cities and provinces have been vaccinated so far this year.

Source: Xinhua