It took 10 years to eradicate influenza A virus in Vietnam.

On April 21, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that it would take at least 10 more years to eradicate the A/H5N1 bird flu virus in six countries where the disease has broken out, including Vietnam.

The other five countries are Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India and Indonesia.

The A/H5N1 virus appeared in 60 countries around the world when the epidemic was at its peak in 2006, but most countries have since managed to eradicate the virus strain, according to the FAO.

Chickens died from A H5N1 flu infection in a Kon Tum family. Photo: Tran Le Lam/VNA

However, the A/H5N1 virus is still firmly entrenched in Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India and Indonesia due to the virus's ability to reproduce, poultry trading methods and the quality of veterinary services in these countries.

Another reason why the A/H5N1 virus has "persisted" for so long is because these "localities" do not have a specific plan to control and eradicate the pathogen.

FAO recommends that the above countries in the next 5 years must coordinate six measures including detecting and suppressing outbreaks, collecting and analyzing information, preventing the spread of disease and minimizing risks, moving towards eradicating this virus strain in the next 5 years.

The A/H5N1 virus can be fatal if it spreads to humans. This virus strain has claimed the lives of 320 people worldwide since 2003.

Regarding the bird flu epidemic, the Cambodian Ministry of Health on April 21 confirmed the fifth death in the country since the beginning of the year due to infection with the deadly virus.

The latest victim was a five-year-old girl in Prey Veng province who died on April 16. Test results of her samples showed she was infected with the A/H5N1 influenza virus.

According to VNA