August 24, 2006

Vietnam to step up border controls to keep out bird flu

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged local governments to step up border controls in an effort to prevent bird flu from entering the country, state-controlled media reported Wednesday (Aug 23).

In a telegram sent to provincial governors Tuesday, Dung asked local governments "to strengthen tight control of the border checkpoints and areas along the borders," the Labourer said.

The prime minister also asked for severe punishments for those involved in smuggling of poultry and poultry products, it said.

The newspaper quoted a report from the Ministry of Trade as saying poultry smuggling is still rampant along the borders with China and Cambodia because of the huge profits that can be made.

Vietnam has not reported any bird flu outbreaks among poultry this year but officials have warned that the country is facing a high risk of bird flu resurgence as recurrences have been reported in recent weeks in China, Laos and Cambodia, which border Vietnam.

"The bird flu resurgence in Vietnam is only a matter of time," the Labourer quoted Vice Agriculture Minister Bui Ba Bong as telling a bird flu conference in Hanoi. Bong added that Vietnam's fight against bird flu has entered a critical stage, although he did not elaborate.

Bong said the government will set up task force units throughout the country to detect and handle bird flu outbreaks, the newspaper said.

The newspaper also quoted Bong as saying the National Bird Flu Steering Committee will ask the government to award local people VND500,000 (US$31) for reporting an outbreak.