July 19, 2005

Vietnam to purchase bird flu vaccines for poultry

The Vietnamese government would purchase 415 million doses of bird flu vaccines for domestic poultry in 2005, as part of its vaccination plan against bird flu this year.

Under the plan, all breeding stock, broilers and layers, and fighting cocks, must be vaccinated against bird flu. Chickens and ducks must be vaccinated three times over different time schedules, using the H5N2 and H5N1 bird flu vaccines respectively.

At the moment, only two bird flu vaccines from China and one from the Netherlands have been approved for poultry use in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the WHO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, have called for donations to help Vietnam improve poultry farming practices and develop its ability to handle bird flu.