The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has promptly rolled out measures to prevent the spread of bird flu strains H7N9 and H10N8 from crossing the border from China.

Nguyen Tien Thanh, deputy head of the provincial animal health branch, said on February 11 that his office took samples of sick poultry at five border markets in Lao Cai city, Bao Thang and Bat Xat districts to better control the situation.

According to Nong Tien Duong, Director of the provincial Health Department, apart from plans to buy new preventive tools and Tamiflu, the department has conducted synchronous measures to manage passengers travelling through the Lao Cai international border gate.

Having recorded no cases of bird flu since 2008, it is still necessary for Lao Cai to closely control its poultry as it shares a border with China, where avian influenza is raging.

The central province of Quang Tri is also implementing a range of measures to prevent the spread of bird flu.

According to Le Quang Anh, deputy head of the province’s animal health branch, Quang Tri has mobilised all resources in the fight against avian influenza in response to appeals made by the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, the province, which houses more than 1.8 million heads of poultry, is now facing a serious shortage of vaccinations, the official said.

He also pointed to bottlenecks in managing poultry imported from other localities.

Given this situation, Anh stressed the need to enhance the capacity of animal health workers at the grassroots level along with strengthening communication channels in order to detect disease hotbeds in a timely manner.

The Dong Ha market houses the largest live poultry wholesale area in the central province, where up to 1,000 heads of poultry change hands each day.

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on February 11 destroyed 32 swans and 394 ducks after A/H5N1 was found in Hoa Thang commune, Buon Ma Thuot City, and Ea Ver commune, Buon Don district.

The same day, the southern province of Binh Phuoc, where a resident died from H5N1, issued a dispatch, requiring competent agencies to accelerate the prevention and fight against A/H7N9.

According to the Health Ministry , there is a high risk that new strains of avian flu troubling China could enter Vietnam, and that H5N1 may outbreak again in many localities.

The country recorded two deaths from H5N1 in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap in January, the ministry said, adding that both victims had been exposed to ill poultry.

China has reported more than 120 human H7N9 cases this year, including 26 deaths, with the provinces of Zheijang and Guangdong worst affected.-VNA