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The Vietnam News

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Bird flu found in poultry smuggled from China to Vietnam

HANOI - Health authorities in Vietnam have discovered bird flu in poultry illegaly imported from China and are conducting tests to find out if it is the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, officials said Thursday. "We made test last week on 30 samples of smuggled poultry in northern Lang Son province," said Le Van Tao, deputy director of the Animal Health Institute at the agriculture ministry. "Results have shown one of the samples was positive to the H5 virus of avian flu," he said.

Experts still had to determine whether it was the deadly H5N1 virus that has claimed 42 lives in the communist nation since December 2003. Tests were also under way done on another 40 samples in neigbouring Quang Ninh province, which also borders China. No new bird flu cases have been identified in Vietnam since December and the last human death was reported in November.

But officials have consistently warned that the deadly H5N1 strain could reappear anytime amid the widespread transport and sale of chickens and other poultry. Last month, the authorities ordered tighter controls along the Chinese border to stop illegal poultry imports. Smugglers carrying poultry and eggs from China have attacked Vietnamese border guards, leaving five soldiers injured in one incident at the weekend, state media said. State television reported on Wednesday that between 10 and 12 tonnes of poultry was smuggled in every day from China. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed 108 people in nine countries since 2003.

Agence France Presse - April 6, 2006.