HANOI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A fresh outbreak of bird flu among fowls has struck Laos' southern Luang Namtha province, Lao newspaper on Tuesday quoted a local agriculture official as saying.

    Some 600 poultry in Nam Ma village, Long district died last week, Bounkhouang Khambounheuang, head of the Department of Livestock and Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, said, noting that their specimens have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1.

    The department has banned the movement and sale of poultry or eggs in the village, and sprayed fowls with disinfectants. All poultry within one-kilometer radius of the village will be culled.

    "We will compensate people for their losses if we have to cull their birds, according to the rules of the department," he said.

    Previous bird flu outbreaks were successfully contained in Vientiane, and in the three provinces of Savannakhet, Champassak and Vientiane last year.

    However, the four northern provinces of Oudomxay, Bokeo, Luang Prabang and Phongsaly are at a very high risk of seeing new outbreaks of the disease, he said.