# 2749
Two years ago Vietnam was being hailed as a bird flu success story, going from the worst affected nation on the planet, to all but eradicating the virus.
After a disastrous 2003-2005, where a total of 93 cases were reported, 2006 passed without a single reported human case.
Beginning in 2007, however, the virus began to show up again in poultry, and along with it, sporadic human infections.
After several years of dire warnings, and no pandemic, many farmers had become lax in their dealing with outbreaks. Vaccination rates of poultry, heavily pushed by the government, have decreased.
And now, an outbreak in Ca Mau Province was reportedly hidden from authorities for two-weeks, and now has spread to six hamlets.
Bird flu spreads in Vietnam after culling delay
By eNews 2.0 Staff
12:05, February 4th 2009
Hanoi - An outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus on a farm in Vietnam's Mekong Delta has spread to five neighboring hamlets because farmers and local officials waited two weeks before culling infected birds, a senior government official said Wednesday.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Diep Kinh Tan said the flu had spread to birds on eight farms in six hamlets of Ca Mau, Vietnam's southernmost province. He said 3,300 chickens and ducks had been destroyed by local authorities.
Tan criticized local officials and farmers for failing to act quickly, allowing the flu to spread. Birds began dying on the first affected farm in mid-January, but authorities did not begin culling them until January 30.
On Monday, the head of Khanh Binh commune, where the outbreak started, blamed the farm's owner, who he said did not report it until January 29. Tan said local authorities and farmers became lax in late 2008 because they thought they had prevented future outbreaks.
"Many farmers do not vaccinate their fowl," Tan said. "Worse, there are cases of people throwing dead ducks in canals. Canals distribute germs, so the risk of this dangerous disease spreading is very high."
