Vietnam announced Friday bird flu outbreaks in its northern Bac Giang province, 70 kilometers far from Hanoi capital, which has killed more than 3,000 fowls.

"Yesterday, chairman of the provincial people's committee announced the outbreaks in three communes of Yen Lu (Yen Dung district), Van Trung and Tang Tien (Viet Yen district)," an official of the provincial Veterinary Bureau told Xinhua, adding that the disease has killed all waterfowls in affected poultry flocks in the communes.

A suspected bird flu patient was admitted to the General Hospital of Bac Giang on Thursday. Specimens from the 24-year-old pregnant woman from Viet Yen have been tested for bird flu viruses. Earlier, her family's flock of ducks died mysteriously.

To cope with potential bird flu outbreaks, Vietnam on Thursday imported 70 million dozes of vaccines from China.

At a press briefing last week, Bui Quang Anh, director of the Vietnam Veterinary Department, said Vietnam is facing a high risk of large bird flu outbreaks, especially in the southern Mekong Delta and the northern Red River delta, since weather conditions are favorable for the development of bird flu viruses.

Since early this year, the country has detected bird flu outbreaks in 35 cities and provinces nationwide, which have killed or led to the forced culling of over 1.5 million fowls, mainly ducks and chickens.

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2005)