Delegates from Ho Chi Minh City and seven southern provinces met on February 25 to plan additional prevention measures to cope with the bird flu that spread throughout 21 provinces.
Coordination should be strengthened to prevent bird flu from further spreading, said Mai Van Hiep, deputy head of Animal Health Department under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The flu has currently not reached HCMC, Binh Phuoc, Soc Trang, Dong Thap and An Giang Province.
The population of HCMC consumes about 120,000-130,000 poultry per day which 90 percent is imported from provinces including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tien Giang and Tay Ninh, according to the city’s Animal Health Department.
Dong Nai Province provides 40 percent of the city’s poultry and Binh Duong provides 28 percent.
The flu has infected and killed 63,000 poultry across 21 provinces as of February 25, according to the Animal Health Department. In the first week of the outbreak on February 18, it spread to 10 provinces.
