Nguyen Chi Thanh, director of the Ha Tinh Centre for Disease Control, said the outbreak was detected on February 7 in Cam Xuyen Commune, where laboratory tests confirmed two poultry samples positive for H5N1.
Initial reports showed poultry fell ill or died in 27 of the commune’s 123 farming households, prompting the culling of 902 birds, mostly chickens.
Health officials have deployed staff to monitor people who were exposed to poultry, while the centre supplied 100kg of chloramine B to disinfect farms in the affected area.
Thanh said the situation was largely under control but warned the risk of resurgence remained high ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet holiday, when poultry transport and consumption typically increase.
Authorities urged residents not to handle or consume sick or dead poultry, avoid raw blood dishes, ensure food is thoroughly cooked, practise good hand hygiene and seek medical care if symptoms such as fever, cough or breathing difficulties appear.
