HANOI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Bird flu has hit Vietnam's northern Thai Binh province, raising the total number of affected localities nationwide to 15, according to a local veterinary agency on Monday.

    The disease, on May 31, killed 10 ducklings and infected 80 others in a total flock of 120 chickens and 650 ducklings raised by a household in the province's Thai Thuy district, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, noting that specimens from the affected poultry have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1.

    The provincial veterinary bureau has culled all fowls in affected flocks, disinfected affected areas, and established quarantine checkpoints around the areas.

    Bird flu, starting to strike Vietnam in December 2003, has hit 15 Vietnamese cities and provinces since early May, the department said.