February 16, 2006

Vietnam to start new bird flu mass vaccination on Feb 16

Vietnam will start the third round of its mass bird flu vaccination campaign on Feb 16, reported local media on Feb 15.

Animal Health Department Deputy Director Hoang Van Nam said Vietnam has imported 150 million doses of poultry vaccine from China last month for the new campaign.

The vaccinations will begin on Feb 16 in the northern province of Nam Dinh. On Feb 17, vaccinations will begin in the southern Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang. Both provinces received their first vaccinations last August.

The higher-risk provinces of the northern Red River Delta, southern Mekong Delta and around Ho Chi Minh City will receive vaccinations over the rest of February and March.

For the remaining provinces, only poultry in high-risk areas such as towns, former outbreak sites and border areas will be vaccinated.

Vietnam has vaccinated more than 120 million poultry in its previous mass campaigns.