Saudi Arabia bans poultry imports from Vietnam amid bird flu fears

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Agriculture has banned imports of live poultry, hatching eggs, and chicks from Vietnam amid bird flu concerns, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ban was based on the warning issued by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which includes the cases of the avian influenza, said Osama bin Abdullah Al-Saleh, director general of the Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine.

The ban follows a similar embargo on import of live poultry from Tennessee, United States, after a lethal strain of bird flu was detected.

Vietnam has reported cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) involving outbreaks of H5N1 and H5N6 throughout the country, according to an OIE report.