HANOI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Specimens from healthy ducks in Vietnam's southern Dong Thap province have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5, according to local newspaper Youth on Monday.

    The tested ducks are in the three districts of Thanh Binh, Lap Vo and Thap Muoi, and Sa Dec town, the newspaper quoted the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as reporting.

    Due to the existence of the virus in healthy ducks, the risk ofbird flu breaking out in Dong Thap is high, the department said, adding that the province finds it difficult to monitor the cross-border transport of poultry and quarantine fowls transported to the province.

    Bird flu is hitting 38 communes in 18 districts in the seven southern localities of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang and Can Tho, said the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Southern Tra Vinh province has not detected new bird flu outbreaks in the last 21 days, meeting criteria for announcingan end to bird flu outbreaks in its territory.

    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, said the department.