August 24, 2006

Vietnam launches second round of poultry vaccination 

Vietnamese animal health authorities Wednesday (Aug 236) started the second round of its poultry vaccination campaign amidst concerns the disease may recur in upcoming winter months which favour the spread of bird flu. 

The National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control is urging provinces to take preventive measures and tighten control on the smuggling of poultry into the country.

Vietnam completed its first round of vaccination a month ago with 134 million birds vaccinated but tests show only 75 percent of the blood samples taken from vaccinated fowls have developed antibodies to ward off the disease. This, however, is higher than the minimum of 70 percent. 

Furthermore, Vietnam still has eight million geese unvaccinated, with a large portion of them in the Mekong Delta.

More than 40 geese and 20 ducks had tested positive for the H5N1 virus in the Mekong Delta, according to Mai Van Hiep, head of the Animal Health Bureau.

Authorities are worried as there are no vaccines specially made for geese and hence no plans have been made to vaccinate the eight-million flock.

According to tests by Vietnam's Animal Health Institute, only 40 percent of the wild geese inoculated with Chinese-made vaccines designed for chickens and ducks developed antibodies to the disease.