January 18, 2006

Vietnam to mass-produce bird flu vaccines

Vietnam is ready to mass-produce bird flu vaccines following pilot tests used in 1300 fowls, local newspaper Pioneer reported Wednesday.

More than 1,000 chickens, 200 ducks and 100 white-feathered geese were used in the trial, the newspaper quoted Vietnam's Veterinary Institute as saying.

The validation of the vaccine is significant as it meant Vietnam can produce vaccines at lower cost and it can now extend vaccination to its flock of some 7 million white-feathered geese.

The vaccine was jointly developed by Vietnam's Biotechnology Institute and a state-owned veterinary medicine company.

The country has administered 245.4 million doses of vaccine to its fowls since August 2005, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Tuesday.

The department said none of the 21 cities and provinces hit by bird flu last year have  detected outbreaks for the past three weeks, meeting criteria to declare their territory free of the disease.

Vietnam had purchased 340 million doses of bird flu vaccines from China and a combined 12 million doses from the Netherlands and France.