Outbreaks of bird flu among fowls were detected from Feb. 16-18 Vietnam's northern provinces, raising the total number of its localities hit by the disease to seven, local newspaper New Hanoi reported Wednesday.

Over the past few days, bird flu has killed 90 fowls in Tuyen Quang province's Ham Yen district, nearly 1,800 in Nam Dinh province's Vu Ban district, and 640 in Hai Duong province's Thanh Mien district.

Currently seven localities were hit by bird flu: Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Tuyen Quang in the northern region, central Quang Binh province, and northern Long An province, according to the Department of Animal Health under the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The department is urging localities nationwide to strengthen anti-bird flu activities, and planning to import more bird flu vaccines from China to keep on vaccinating poultry, the newspaper said.

Bird flu outbreaks in Vietnam, starting in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2008)