The Prime Minister has ordered the ministries and provincial People´s Committees to tighten supervision on avian flu to control a possible spread of the disease.

The PM directive was sent to the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Public Health, Trade, Transport and Communications, Finance, National Defence, and Public Security and all provincial and municipal People´s Committees on Dec. 27. The PM urged veterinary agencies, relevant services and authorities at all levels to promptly stamp out any avian flu outbreak, preventing a possible spread of the disease. 

The PM ordered a ban on the transportation of sick poultry out of the affected zones. Violators under the veterinary ordinance will be punished.

The avian flu virus recurred in several Mekong Delta provinces earlier this month, posing a grave risk, the PM said.

The fresh avian flu outbreak occurred in seven communes and wards in six southern provinces in the first 20 days of December, forcing the culling of 11,000 poultry.

The World Health Organisation continued warning regional countries about the possibility of avian flu recurrence and transmission to humans.