Vietnam to manufacture bird flu vaccine

An official from the Ministry of Science and Technology confirms that Vietnam will manufacture a vaccine against bird flu.

According to ministry official Le Minh Sat, the vaccine is set to meet 20 to 30 percent of the domestic demand. This development is also confirmed by the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Currently, Vietnam must import some 250 million doses of bird flu vaccine annually.

The Ministry of Finance has proposed spending about VND160 billion this year to buy the vaccine and locally-produced vaccine is seen to be 60-70 percent cheaper than the imports.