A number of ducks in Vietnam's southern Tien Giang Province have recently died with unidentified causes, while bird flu is hitting southern Tra Vinh Province.

Some in a flock of over 2,200 unvaccinated ducks raised by three households in Go Cong Tay District died with such symptoms as swollen head, drowsiness and paralysis, local newspaper Vietnam Agriculture reported Thursday.

Specimens from the dead poultry are being tested for bird flu viruses. Local veterinary agencies have culled the affected fowl flock.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2007)