February 24, 2004

Vietnam Aims To Contain Bird Flu By February

Vietnam is determined to contain bird flu by end February, said Bui Quang Anh, Director of the Veterinary Department at a recent press conference.

He said, "To that end, the National Committee for Bird Flu Control will continue more drastic measures in a bid to contain the epidemic in the next ten days across the country. Unless Vietnam can contain the disease, it will face difficulties in selling poultry products and recovering its poultry stock even in unaffected provinces".

To date, the committee has distributed 15,000 sets of protective gear donated by FAO and WHO to local communities.

The Government has instructed the committee to focus its efforts on provinces affected by the epidemic on a large scale and for a long time and consider means of recovering the poultry stock. Areas declared as safe from the epidemic are to observe standard procedures of poultry slaughter to ensure safety for consumers.