May 12, 2006

Vietnam to purchase foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from China

Vietnam will import about two million doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines from China in June, according to animal health official Dang Van Ky of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This month, the country also plans to import two million doses of vaccines against other variations of FMD from the Netherlands and US for the national reserve, he said.

FMD has affected over 36,000 pigs and cattle in 36 Vietnamese cities and provinces so far.

The agriculture ministry also asked for official action to set up a national committee tasked to stop the spread of FMD. Increasing numbers of cattle smuggled into the country was the main cause of the disease's spread, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have stepped up controls over cattle trade and transport in affected areas, while offering compensation for culled animals and vaccinating healthy ones.