# 1430
With the unexpected death of a child last week from the H5N1 virus in a province that wasn't reporting (at the time) infected poultry, Vietnam is redoubling their efforts to control bird flu.
It's a big job, however. And not everyone is cooperating. Unregistered farms and illegal poultry trade continue - despite new regulations.
A Hat Tip to AlaskaDenise on Flutrackers for posting this article.
Official urges tighter control on poultry trading over new year
16:44 30/12/2007
VietNamNet Bridge - The deadly H5N1 virus has been identified to cause a child’s death in northern Viet Nam recently and may trigger another bird flu outbreak, especially during this holiday season when demand for poultry is at its peak, said a senior official.
According to Head of the Preventive Health Department Nguyen Huy Nga. Dr. Nga, after the death of the child, the 46 people who had direct contact with the patient tested negative to the H5N1 virus.
The Health Ministry has not received any information about the possibility that bird flu can transmit from human to human from the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, this recent death related to bird flu in Son La Province has suggested that local officials in some provinces have not paid enough attention to the procedures regarding bird flu prevention and control.
In fact, illegal trading and transportation of poultry still remain in some districts in HCMC and southern provinces like Ben Tre and Tien Giang. Unregistered poultry farms can still be found in the city’s districts 8, 12, Go Vap and Binh Tan District.
On December 23, four illegal poultry slaughter houses and a ship transporting poultry of unknown origin were discovered in Go Vap and Nha Be District.
Dr. Nga has ordered all municipal and provincial officials to tighten their control over poultry on sale in local markets as the increasing number of this special food on the New Year (Tet) Holiday may facilitate another outbreak of bird flu.
This year, the country reportedly had six bird flu patients, three of which died.
