An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in Vietnam’s northern province of Ha Nam.

The H5N1 strain was detected in a backyard location containing close to 1,200 birds.

The Vietnamese Farm Ministry reported the outbreak to the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health, who confirmed on Wednesday that the virus had killed 300 birds.

The rest of the flock has since been slaughtered, but it’s not confirmed what type of birds were affected.

The H5N1 virus can be passed to humans, but many flu strains only infect birds.

Vietnam is one of a number of countries across Asia, Europe and Africa that has seen a rise in bird flu viruses in recent months.