The Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department has warned eightprovinces near the border with Cambodia to step up their preventionand control measures against avian influenza H5N1.

Thewarning was released after the World Health Organisation in Cambodiaconfirmed that five Cambodian people had contracted the disease sincethe beginning of the year, of which four died. One of two areas hit bythe disease was near the Vietnam border.

The provinceswere asked to tighten international medical quarantine procedures,detect cases with high or acute respiration inflammation and isolatesuspected cases for timely treatment in an effort to keep the lethalH5N1 virus from spreading to Vietnam.

Provinces were alsorequested to collaborate with agricultural sectors to strengthen thesupervision of both domestic and imported poultry.

The healthministry also asked medical units to prepare medicines, chemicals andfacilities to deal with outbreaks, if any, and to keep an eye on peoplecoming from Cambodia to Vietnam for signs of the flu.

The public should be warned of measures to stay safe from the virus, andveterinary units and local authorities should plan together thesupervision of an avian influenza H5N1 outbreak in poultry, should itoccur.

Department Deputy Director Tran Thanh Duong said theoutbreak of avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia was a significant threatto Vietnam .

The disease could spread to Vietnamthrough many channels, such as trade border exchange, poultry smugglingor wild birds moving between the two countries, Duong said.

The eight border provinces are Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong inthe Central Highlands, and Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap andAn Giang in the south.

Last year, bird flu hit seven provinces of Vietnam and claimed two deaths.

The Ministry of Health says that 121 H5N1 cases have been reported inVietnam since 2003. Of that number, 61 resulted in death.-VNA