Vietnam Strengthens Bird Flu Vaccination, Prepares Restocking
Bernama, 26 Apr 2006

HANOI, April 26 (Bernama) -- Vietnam is accelerating vaccination against bird flu viruses among fowls nationwide, and preparing for restoring the flocks, Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday.

According to a local daily, Saigon Liberation, Vietnam has conducted bird flu vaccination among 30 million chickens and 15 million ducks in 33 cities and provinces since late February quoting a report from local media here.

Of  the  localities,   six   provinces  have

completed the first batch of vaccination in 2006.

Vietnam is preparing technical and financial conditions for rehabilitating its poultry flock with a focus on fowl raising in large-scale farms.

Some international organizations have recently agreed to fund Vietnam to the tune of US$35 million (US$1=RM3.67) in the 2006 to 2010 period for poultry restoration and development, the report quoted the newspaper's source from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In 2005, bird flu hit 44 cities and provinces of Vietnam, killing and leading to the forced culling of nearly 4.8 million poultry, or over 2 percent of the country's fowl population, according to the ministry.

The country, which now has a total poultry population of nearly 220 million, has detected no bird flu outbreaks for over four months, said the ministry.-- BERNAMA