Laos Reports H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak

Laos has confirmed an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among chickens at a farm near the capital Vientiane, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday.

Some 2,580 chickens were found dead last week at the poultry farm in Xaythany district, 15 miles south of Vientiane. Agriculture officials have culled an additional 3,500 chickens at the farm.

"Lab results confirmed that it is H5N1," Laos Foreign Ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalansy said.

The Vientiane Times said the same farm experienced a bird flu outbreak in 2004.

Bird flu has killed at least 134 people worldwide since it started ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, according to WHO. Laos has reported no human deaths from the virus, though neighboring Thailand this week reported its 15th human fatality.

In October, the United States announced it was granting $3.4 million in aid for impoverished Laos to fend off the disease.