HANOI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Bird flu outbreaks in two Mekong Delta provinces of Vietnam have been contained but the risk of recurrence there and elsewhere was still high, officials said on Wednesday. Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat said in a report that the outbreaks had been brought under control in the Mekong Delta, where more than 9,000 ducks and chicken have been slaughtered since a first outbreak on Dec. 11. The Animal Health Department said on Wednesday that bird flu was still present in five communes in the two Mekong Delta provinces of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. The Agriculture Ministry's report also highlighted the risk of a bird flu recurrence in the Red River Delta in the country's north due to the widespread smuggling of poultry from China and the increased consumption of poultry during the traditional Lunar New Year festivals in February. The government has ordered animal health authorities and police to tighten controls of poultry transport -- especially in the provinces bordering China -- to avoid a recurrence. The outbreaks of the H5N1 virus were the first in Vietnam since August. The WHO says bird flu has killed 154 people out of 258 infected globally since late 2003.
