According to the Veterinary Agency, on May 1, 160 ducks of 40 days old belonging to a family in Dien Tho commune, Dien Chau district died. By May 4, 246 of the total 610 ducks of this family had died.

The local veterinary bureau sent blood samples of those ducks for testing and the results were positive for the H5 virus. The remaining ducks have been culled and the breeding area has been decontaminated. Quarantine stations have been set up to prevent transportation of poultry out of the affected area.

The appearance of bird flu this summer has broken the rules that have existed for several years: the disease only breaks out from the winter to spring, from October to March.

The Veterinary Agency has instructed provinces to urgently finish bird flu vaccinations of fowls. Sixty provinces and cities have completed the first phase of vaccinations of 103 million fowls.