During his recent tour of southernmost Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces, where the bird flu outbreaks have been found, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat demanded the culling of poultry in the affected areas.

Minister Phat, who is also Chairman of the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control, asked the two provinces to observe the strict rules of poultry extermination to stop the spread of the disease.

He also asked them to strengthen their veterinary networks and keep a close watch on animal husbandry to quickly detect the disease and cope with any outbreaks.

So far, six communes of four districts in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces have detected bird flu outbreaks and over 9,000 poultry have died of the disease or been culled.