October 24, 2005

Vietnam to import 220 million more bird flu vaccines

Vietnam will import an additional 220 million doses of bird flu vaccines to speed up the vaccination against bird flu strains of H5N1 and H5N2 in poultry.     

The country has already imported 120 million doses from China and the Netherlands, and vaccinated nearly 100 million poultry in 37 cities and provinces, according to Bui Quang Anh, director of the Vietnam Veterinary Department.

Among the 20 million doses imported just the previous week, seven million will be for nine northern localities such as Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho and Hai Phong.

The first batch of poultry vaccination in high-risk areas of the country will be completed by November as targeted, Bui said.

The Vietnamese government has also recently decided to spend VND700 billion (US$44.3 million) on vaccinating all poultry. Fowls in all 64 cities and provinces will have been vaccinated by late March 2007.

The country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will be working with Chinese vaccine producers to have technology transferred to Vietnam. Made-in-Vietnam vaccines are thus expected to be ready by 2008.

The ministry has also recently decided that all cattle and poultry nationwide be vaccinated against six diseases: FMD, pigs' cholera, anthrax, ducks' cholera, Newcastle and pasteurella multocida.