March 31, 2008

Vietnam imports 60 million bird flu vaccine from China   

Vietnam will import a total of sixty million bird flu vaccine doses from China, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Friday. 

The ministry shipped the vaccine this month, instead of the original date in April, due to the spread of bird flue virus in the country.

So far, ten provinces, mostly in the north, have already reported of outbreak.

The Mekong Delta reported a massive outbreak due to the farming of free-range ducks in many provinces and a poor control of poultry transport and trade, according to health officials earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry announced Friday the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) pledged to aid nearly US$2.15 million for a massive measles vaccination programme in Vietnam.