# 1816
The illegal poultry trade is often cited as a prime vector for the H5N1 virus. Recently authorities in Vietnam's Northern provinces (bordering China) tested 104 samples from batches of confiscated chickens and found 24 tested positive for the bird flu virus.
That's 23%. A remarkably high number, and worrisome since authorities admit they don't interdict more than a fraction of the illegal trade.
Exactly where these `illegally imported chickens' originated from is conspicuously absent in this article, although the close proximity to China makes that a pretty reasonable guess.
Lang Son Province is the historical land link between China and Vietnam, linking Lạng Son and Guangxi Province, China.
Of course, China reportedly doesn't have much of a bird flu problem. Don't believe it?
Just ask them.
This from the Vietnam News Agency.
Illegal chickens in northern area test positive for bird flu
(22-03-2008)
LANG SON — Twenty-four out of 104 samples of illegally imported chickens confiscated since February have tested positive for the H5N1 virus, Lang Son Animal Health Department reported yesterday.
Most of the chickens were seized mainly in northern Lang Son Province’s Trang Dinh and Loc Binh districts and in Lang Son City.
Provincial veterinarians took samples of the trafficked chickens for testing before killing them.
The province has seized and destroyed over 60 tonnes of non-quarantined chickens since the beginning of the year.
But authorities said it was too little compared to the illegally imported chickens that had been successfully transported and consumed through the province.
Although no bird flu outbreaks have been reported in the province, the local Animal Health Department immediately vaccinated poultry in its bordering communes, Lang Son City and in districts where National Highway 1A passes through.
Southern Ca Mau Province yesterday also declared bird flu outbreaks after the H5N1 virus killed 30 muscovy ducks on a farm in Hiep Tung Commune, Nam Can District, listing it as the eighth province on Viet Nam’s current bird flu-hit list.
One day earlier, central Quang Nam Province had reported fresh outbreaks on duck farms in Tam Ky and Nui Thanh districts, said the Viet Nam Animal Health Department.
Other bird flu-stricken areas include Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai and Ha Noi in the north, Quang Binh and Quang Tri in the centre and Soc Trang in the south. — VNS
