Hanoi (VNA) – The increaඣsing demand for food and travelling during the lunar New Year (Tet) holiday will pose a high risk for bird flu outbreaks, the Preventive Medicine Department said on February 2.

The department assessed the risk of the disease spreading across borders is very high, as human infections with a new avian influenza A (H7N9) virus were reported from China in 2013, together with other avian viruses such as H5N1, H1N1, H5N6 and H5N8 have travelled to all continents. Vietnam has not recorded any new human avian flu cases since 2015, however 62 outbreaks caused by H5N1 and H5N6 viruses were reported nationwide in the period. To proactively prevent the disease, the Ministry of Health has recommended that people should wash their hands with soap, ensure good personal hygiene, and limit their contact with patients. They were also advised to not use poultry or poultry products with unknown origins, and ensure food hygiene. People were told to immediately notify local authorities and veterinary units if they detected any sick or dead poultry. People should visit doctors to be counselled, examined and receive treatment if they have flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, chest pain or difficulty breathing. They should also not touch material contaminated by faeces from poultry or livestock. People with symptoms of acute respiratory infections while travelling or just returning from areas with an epidemic should visit a doctor for an examination and to determine the disease.-VNA