The Livestock and Veterinary Department of Quang Ninh Province reported that three samples of dead chickens from a farm in Ha Long City tested positive for the A/H5N8 avian influenza virus. This strain of influenza not only causes death in poultry but also has the potential to spread to humans without showing symptoms.
Test result samples from the Regional Veterinary Department II recorded three positive samples of the A/H5N8 avian influenza virus from the farm of Nguyen Huy Long (Bai Cat hamlet, Vu Oai commune, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province). (Photo: Viet Hoa)
On July 2, the Livestock and Veterinary Department of Quang Ninh Province announced that since June 29, the chicken farm owned by Nguyen Huy Long in Bai Cat hamlet, Vu Oai commune, Ha Long City had reported sporadic chicken deaths. By June 30, 200 chickens had died at this farm. Subsequently, the Agricultural Technical Service Center of Ha Long City collected samples for testing, which yielded the aforementioned results.
The A/H5N8 strain is the first of its kind to be detected in Vietnam. According to Tran Xuan Dong, the Head of the Livestock and Veterinary Department of Quang Ninh Province, the danger level of the A/H5N8 strain lies not only in its ability to kill poultry but also in its potential to spread to humans without symptoms. If a person with an underlying health condition contracts the virus, they may develop the disease. However, if a healthy person with good immunity contracts it, the pathogen may not manifest but can remain in the body, evolve, and pose a risk of creating dangerous variants that could spread from person to person.
Globally, in 2020, this strain of influenza was reported in several chicken farms in Russia, with seven Russians testing positive for the A/H5N8 avian influenza virus after being infected by poultry.
Authorities are urgently implementing measures to quarantine and prevent the risk of disease spread at the outbreak site in Bai Cat hamlet, Vu Oai commune, Ha Long City.
