A woman transports ducks by bicycle at a roadside market 20 km (12 miles) outside Hanoi May 22, 2007. Bird flu has killed nearly 1,900 ducks in farms across Vietnam in the past week, the government said on Tuesday, bringing to five the number of provinces struck by H5N1.(Xinhua Photo)

    HANOI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Bird flu has stricken additional three northern provinces and one southern city in Vietnam, raising the total number of affected localities nationwide to five, according to a local veterinary agency on Tuesday.

    Bird flu has killed nearly 1,900 out of roughly 5,900 unvaccinated ducklings in one town and five districts in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Son La and Nam Dinh, and Can Tho city since May 16, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Specifically, the disease has killed 116 out of 443 ducklings in one farm in Mong Cai town in Quang Ninh, 375 out of 1,500 in two farms in Vinh Thanh district in Can Tho, 130 out of 960 in onefarm in Mai Son district in Son La, and 1,275 out of 2,950 in three districts of Vu Ban, Nam Truc and Mai Loc in Nam Dinh.

    The affected ducklings are diagnosed to have contracted bird flu virus strain H5N1, said the department.

    Early this month, bird flu hit Vietnam's central Nghe An province. Now, it is reported in the province's four districts of Hung Nguyen, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh and Nghi Loc. To date, the provincial Veterinary Bureau has culled 20,000 fowls and destroyed 2,000 poultry eggs.

    Local veterinary agencies have culled all fowls in affected flocks, disinfected affected areas, and established quarantine checkpoints around the areas.

    To prevent the disease widespread, Vietnam has so far this year vaccinated 116.6 million fowls in 60 cities and provinces nationwide, said the department.

    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.