Vietnam reports outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in north

Vietnam has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu among backyard birds in the northern province of Ha Nam, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday (July 12), citing a report from the Vietnamese farm ministry.

The virus was detected at a backyard location with 1,135 birds. It directly killed 300 birds, with the rest of the flock slaughtered, the report said.

The types of birds were not indicated and source of the disease not known.

Vietnam is one of a number of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa to have seen bird flu viruses spread in recent months. Many strains only infect birds, but the H7N9 strain has notably led to human cases, including fatalities, in China.

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