Viet Nam - A Fujian-like bird flu virus was found in poultry in Vinh Long Province in northern Vietnam.

Tests done in two national and international laboratories, the Veterinary Institute and the National Center for Veterinary Diagnosis, confirmed the findings.

The name of the mutated virus, Fujian bird flu, is taken from the Chinese province where the new strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus was found in March 2005. The virus is transmissible from birds to humans.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked relevant agencies to strictly control the trading and transportation of poultry and poultry products across borders and in local markets to prevent the spread of this dangerous strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Reported by Quang Duan