Bird flu has stricken Vietnam's central Nghe An province, raising the total number of affected localities in the country to three, according to a local veterinary agency on Tuesday.

Bird flu has, since July 18, killed 30 chickens and 160 ducks raised by a household in Nghi Loc district, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, adding that Nghe An and the two southern provinces of Dong Thap and Tra Vinh are being hit by the disease.

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 July 22, 2008)