Chickens on sale in Vietnam

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Vietnam has reported three deaths from bird flu to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The deaths, in Ha Tay in the north of the country and Hau Giang in the south, are the first confirmed to be caused by the disease in Vietnam since February.

The WHO says more tests are needed to see whether the virus belongs to the H5N1 strain that killed 23 people in Vietnam and Thailand earlier this year.

The Vietnamese government has reacted to the deaths by culling poultry and requesting local authorities to increase surveillance of human health.

Link to full Xinhua news story