# 520
It seems we have a theme today.
This article is from thanhniennews.com.
Vietnam official denies suppressing news of bird flu outbreak
A top Vietnamese veterinary official has denied attempts to conceal information about a bird flu outbreak in a northern province, saying the case was complicated and took time to confirm.
An outbreak on February 18 in Hai Duong province’s Thanh Mien district saw 6,000 chickens out of a flock of 10,500 die but authorities only admitted to it on Wednesday following a media outcry.
Bui Quang Anh, director of the National Department of Animal Health, confessing that bird flu test results normally took two days, said in this instance it had taken nine days for the authorities to make the announcement because of complications.
The samples were first sent to Hai Phong city for analysis where experts tested them twice before sending to Hanoi. There scientists confirmed it was indeed the H5N1 virus.
Meanwhile, the press reported about the chicken deaths while the authorities kept mum, triggering allegations that the government was trying to conceal the information.
Anh added: “Announcing a newly infected zone would have a great impact on society… Everyone rest assured: there’s no suppression of information.”
He also raised a concern that the disease could erupt on a wide scale following the government’s decision to lift March 1 a three-year ban on hatching and raising waterfowl.
No doubt, coming on the heels of their announcement that their country was `bird flu free', there was some reluctance to retract that statement until definitive proof could be had. That decision, unfortunately, gives the H5N1 virus more latitude to spread.
Whether there was a deliberate attempt to conceal this latest outbreak in Vietnam is in dispute, but on the whole, it appears that Vietnam has been pretty transparent with regards to bird flu.
Hopefully conflicting agendas will give way to common sense, there, and in other countries, and a swift response will be undertaken whenever H5N1 is even suspected.
With a virus like avian flu, it is far better to be safe than sorry.
