November 24, 2005

FAO supports China's animal vaccination against bird flu

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Wednesday said it supports China's launching of a massive animal vaccination programme to combat bird flu, but cautioned that quality control on vaccines made in China must be assured.

FAO's chief veterinary officer Joseph Domenech said agency officials would be among those visiting Chinese laboratories to check that correct procedures were being used to manufacture vaccines.

He said the agency supports global vaccination campaigns, including the one announced last week by the Chinese government for the country's 14 billion domestic fowls.

But he said it was necessary "to ensure that quality control is done independently for all vaccines". Domenech was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an international conference at the agency's Rome headquarters.

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has decimated poultry stocks in Asia, and has killed at least 64 people. Health officials fear it could mutate into a form that passes easily to and between humans and cause a pandemic.

Earlier Wednesday, China reported its second confirmed death from bird flu-a 35-year-old woman farmer in the east of the country.

Domenech said China's efforts would be made difficult because of the sise of the country, but the animal vaccination programmeme could be effective in stopping the spread of the disease.

"It's a huge country, and it will be difficult to get information from all parts," Domenech said. "But they can do it."