A/H5N1 avian flu has spread to at least four districts in central Quang Ngai Province over the past two weeks, with nearly 43,000 affected ducks having died or been culled, prompting authorities to vaccinate all flocks of poultry in the province. Yesterday, deputy head of the provincial Veterinary Sub-department Nguyen Van Thuan said the latest outbreak of the disease was recorded in Tinh Ha Commune, Son Tinh District, with ducks dying en masse. Besides Son Tinh, three other districts Nghia Hanh, Tu Nghia and Binh Son, have also suffered from the avian flu with 22 areas affected, authorities reported. The agency has sent 75 samples of the dead poultry to Da Nang for testing since August 13, and results have shown that all the samples were infected with the deadly A/H5N1 virus, Thuan said. “The avian flu is spreading rapidly and no signs show it can be halted,” he said. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has granted 1 million doses of vaccines against A/H5N1 virus to Quang Ngai to vaccinate every flock of poultry in Quang Ngai city and six districts of the province.

A veterinary officer in Quang Ngai sprays antisetic at a duck farm to prevent the spread of the A/H5N1 virus (Photo: VnExpress)

Provincial veterinary officers are coordinating with authorities to tighten control over poultry slaughtering, transportation and trade to detect affected animals. They also sprayed antiseptics in affected areas and those vulnerable to the disease to constrain the spread of the epidemic. For fear that the disease could spread to Quang Ngai’s neighboring localities, the Quang Nam veterinary sub-department has set up a hot line at mobile phone number 0903548515 to receive information about the epidemic’s development.