VietNamNet Bridge – Over 1,200 samples of smuggled poultry have been tested negative for the deadly strain of H7N9 bird flu virus, the Department of Animal Health has confirmed.

At a meeting in Hanoi yesterday, the Department of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that it had collected the samples at wholesale markets between June, 2012 and February, 2013.

The work was done in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh, under the auspices of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Members of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention warned that there is a potential threat of bird flu when fowls are still being smuggled from China, where as by April 23, 2013, H7N9 virus took the lives of 22 people.

They asked localities to continue taking preventive measures as directed by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as reinforce actions against smugglers of poultry and poultry products.

Source: Vietnam Plus