January 11, 2007

Bird flu seen to worsen in Vietnam due to inadequate poultry vaccination

Vietnam Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong warned that bird flu is likely to worsen as many localities have ignored Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's orders of massive poultry vaccination, reports the Vietnam News Agency.

The agriculture official pointed out that only a few areas such as the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap and Bac Lieu have been carrying out vaccination measures in their poultry farms.

The Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has already provided localities with 4 million doses of vaccine against the H5N1 type avian influenza.

Aside for chickens, the country will still import an additional 250 million doses of vaccine intended for other birds, Bong said.

He also added that the government has dispatched 11 delegations to localities to monitor vaccination and other preventive measures.

According to Bong, the government pays farmers an average of VND15,000 (US$0.93) for each culled fowl and 3,000 VND (US$0.18) for culling an infected bird.