Bird Flu spreads in Vietnam

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Cao Duc Phat has requested provinces in the Mekong Delta region to prohibit people to move duck flocks from one village, town or province to another village, town or province until bird flu is stamped out. He has also issue a Directive which requests immediate vaccination for all duck flocks. Ducks in infected villages have to be locked up. Healthy and vaccinated flocks in the villages where bird flu has been eliminated, or where there is no bird flu at all, are allowed to run on the fields within the villages’ boundaries. All activities related to the killing of ducks, and duck meat and egg sales must follow the ministry’s regulations.

Poultry killing and selling activities are to be constantly supervised. In addition, people are asked to lock up and vaccinate poultry, as well as constantly clean and sterilize coops, and limit contacts with strange poultry, wild birds and strangers. Local authorities must co-ordinate with the police to find and stamp out smuggling centres, and guide border villages to persuade people not to participate in poultry smuggling and to expose violators.

The Vet Department has recently asked the Ho Chi Mihn City area’s vet centre and the vet boards of Long An and Binh Duong to investigate the possibility of poultry’s immunity to the bird flu vaccine. With two shots for every fowl, the protection rate should be 70 %.