Sharing a border with China, Vietnam is facing a risk of A(H7N9) bird flu infection from its neighbor as the cross-border smuggling of poultry has yet to be prevented effectively, said Dac Phu, head of the Preventive Health Department under the Health Ministry. Phu made the warning in a notice saying that China has confirmed two new H7N9 bird flu cases in which both patients had contacted poultry. To date, Chinese health authorities has informed WHO of a total of 136 laboratory-confirmed human cases with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection including 45 deaths, Chu said.

He added that according to WHO, there is no evidence of sustainable human-to-human transmission so far. As the smuggling of chickens, ducks and other poultry illegally via the border is yet to be controlled and prevented effectively, Vietnam is facing a great risk of infection with the virus from China. Moreover, the weather in the coming time – winter-spring, will be cold, facilitating the proliferation of the virus. Therefore, the department calls on all local authorities in provinces and cities, especially in the northern border with China, in conjunction with local preventive health agencies, to strengthen examinations of passengers and poultry at border dates to detect virus inflections. Concerned agencies should boost their control over cross-border trade activities to detect and seize smuggled poultry, the department added. In case anyone is found contracting the virus, they must be treated in isolation properly and effectively, Phu said. Local health authorities should pay attention to cases of severe inflammation of the respiratory tract to identify an H7N9 inflection, if any, and prepare enough health equipment and supplies to cope with any possible H7N9 bird flu outbreaks. Treatment of patients must be in accordance with the regulations and instructions of the Ministry of Health, the department said. The ministry advises everybody not to buy or eat any chickens, ducks or other poultry without quarantine or with unknown origin on the market.