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APEC officials
tour chicken farm in Vietnam
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DANANG, Vietnam (AP) - Delegates attending an Asia-Pacific meeting on bird flu Saturday donned masks, goggles and biohazard suits as they explored a chicken farm in central Vietnam for a firsthand look at how hygiene is maintained. The tour came after the region's agriculture and health ministers on Friday endorsed a plan aimed at stamping out bird flu and preparing for a potential flu pandemic. The 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation also plans to conduct a tabletop mock pandemic exercise next month to test the region's preparedness. "These countries have been dealing with avian influenza for several years and have clearly advanced thinking on it, so that's why I wanted to be here this |
morning to look at the activities that were successful here in Vietnam,'' said John Lange, the U.S. special representative for avian influenza. "They've been dealing with it and we're just expecting it.'' Experts fear the H5N1 bird flu virus, which began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, could mutate and potentially spark a global pandemic. The virus has killed at least 114 people worldwide, but most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds. The farm in Hoa Quy village in the coastal town of Danang had about 7,000 chickens, all of which had been vaccinated. Laying hens were kept in cages in an enclosed coop sprayed with disinfectant. |
Much of the poultry in Vietnam and throughout Asia, however, is produced on a much smaller scale, with many households raising a handful of chickens in backyards. Such farming practices are much harder to control and make it easier for the H5N1 virus to spread. A regional action plan adopted Friday calls for the restructuring of some backyard farming practices into larger, more controlled operations. Officials said Australia will coordinate a regional practice exercise on June 7-8, with help from Singapore, to see how well countries respond and cooperate during a mock pandemic scenario. |
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