January 17, 2007

Vietnam PM issues emergency call to contain bird flu

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged agencies involved in fighting bird flu to contain and eliminate it at the soonest after it has spread to Soc Trang, the seventh province to be hit by the deadly disease.

He also instructed local governments and the agriculture and health ministries to work with the Fatherland Front - an umbrella public organisation - to raise people's awareness of hygiene and vaccination, and to keep an eye on previously infected regions, especially in the south.

PM Dung urged veterinary agencies to closely monitor animal sanitation and poultry slaughter and transport, particularly to urban centres and bird flu-free areas.

The Prime Minister also instructed the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development to work closely with customs and border guards to prevent illegal import of poultry and poultry products and to keep imported fowls under strict quarantine.

He called for expediting the vaccination of water and land fowls, and sterilisation, among other measures.

On the same day, the Ho Chi Minh City government convened a meeting with its health, finance, trade, and agriculture departments to discuss measures to curb the disease.

Nguyen Thanh Tai, vice chairman of the People's Committee - the government - said food safety was a priority ahead of Tet, the traditional Lunar New Year holiday, which falls on February 17.

Experts have warned that the bird flu risk, like that of other respiratory ailments, increases routinely in the cold months and around Tet, as poultry consumption increases and the disease's transmission is high due to frequent travels made in preparation of the holidays.

The disease has affected 41 communes and wards in 19 districts in seven Mekong Delta provinces, namely Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang, causing 23,000 fowls to be culled.