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New A/H5N1 strain subtype found in Vietnam's Mekong delta

Xinhua, April 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

A new subtype of H5N1 avian influenza virus, 2.3.2.1C, has been discovered in Vietnam's Mekong delta city of Can Tho, according to the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Anti-bird flu efforts, therefore, are being challenged because vaccination is not effective for the new subtype, Nguyen Khai Dang, Deputy Director of the Department told local VietnamNet Bridge at a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute on Monday.

Previously, only H5N1 virus subtype 1.1 was found in the city's affected fowls.

The department warned that bird flu could spread far and wide amidst the harvest season, the time when breeders often let their ducks seek food on rice fields. It also confirmed that the H7N9, H10N8 and H6N1 strands have yet been found in the region.

It continues vaccinating poultry against H5N1 while selecting suitable vaccines to beat the new bird flu subtype and keeping an eye on the development of new poultry, especially in the areas once hit by the virus and vulnerable ones, said the department's official.

According to the Can Tho Veterinary Department, bird flu caused 14 outbreaks in seven communities with nearly 10,400 infected fowls. Endi