Since the tsunami disaster struck in Asia last month it has overshadowed a problem of potentially far larger consequences - bird flu. According to Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health, since the beginning of January bird flu has struck in 404 communes of 26 cities and provinces in Vietnam, killing or leading to the culling of over 613,000 fowl. Vietnam has now placed a temporary ban on importing poultry and their eggs from neighbouring countries and it is considering the possibility of vaccinating birds and creating a vaccine for humans.

The speed of the viral contagion is of concern, making figures obsolete by the following day. The number of affected communes reported on January 7 was 25 but rose to 112 by January 17, to 160 by January 19, 179 by January 20, 232 by January 22 and spread to 404 by January 23.

The number of confirmed human cases is also on the rise. Since December 28, a total of 11 human cases of bird flu infection have been reported in Vietnam, nine of which were fatal. There is also speculation that the deadly H5N1 strain can now spread from human to human.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Lunar New Year celebrations could lead to further infections as people and poultry travel to distant parts of the country. Hans Troedsson of WHO has also expressed his disappointment with the international community’s poor response to the problem.

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