# 2755
Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Nghe An
& Bac Lieu Provinces
While still a far cry from the outbreak during the summer of 2007, when as many as 18 provinces reported outbreaks in poultry, the upward trend in reports has some Vietnamese officials worried.
Cooler weather, and `bird flu fatigue' seem to be conspiring to spread the virus.
Vietnam bird flu outbreak widens
Posted: 06 February 2009 1215 hrs
HANOI - The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been reported in more localities across Vietnam, raising fears of a possible epidemic, official and media reports said Friday.
The latest outbreak occurred on a farm in Mekong delta's Ca Mau province, where 300 unvaccinated ducklings died of the virus, said the national animal health department.
The Hanoi-based office in its earlier reports said avian influenza had been found in ducks in nearby Soc Trang province and Nghe An province in the country's central.
The state-run Thanh Nien newspaper said Friday that southern Bac Lieu has been added to the list of bird-flu hit provinces.
"Epidemics could spread easily because of cold weather and local residents' habit of letting the ducks run around in rice fields," Thanh Nien said, adding thousands of infected poultry have died or been culled this year.
Earlier this month, Vietnam's capital Hanoi issued a ban on the widespread use of motorbikes or bicycles to transport poultry and livestock for fear it could help trigger an epidemic.
However, state media has frequently reported that meat products continued to be transported by motorbike into the city daily despite the ban.
