A total of three communes in two districts had bird flu, he said.

Luong Ngoc Lan, head of Bac Lieu´s department of agriculture and rural development, said more poultry deaths had been reported in Hong Dan, Hoa Binh, Vinh Loi, and Gia Rai districts on Sunday.

The dead birds had tested H5N1 positive in Hong Dan and Hoa Binh while results were awaited from the other two districts, Lan said.

In Ca Mau many poultry reportedly died Monday.

The peidemic has hit at least 13 districts in the three provinces, prompting the slaughter of tens of thousands of fowl. Four people in Bac Lieu and two in Soc Trang provinces have been hospitalized with bird flu symptoms.

Last week Vietnam launched a national anti-bird flu campaign to stamp out the epidemic.

The World Bank has approved a US$10 million grant for a program to combat bird flu.

At least 42 people have died of the H5N1 virus in Vietnam since 2003 with the latest case reported in November 2005.

The disease has killed 157 of the 261 people infected globally since 2003.