VietNamNet Bridge – The bird flu epidemic is being controlled in the north but the disease could break out again at any time, emphasised Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Head of the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control Cao Duc Phat on July 3 in Hanoi.

The second phase of the vaccination programme for poultry is running very slowly because of the serious shortage of vaccine. The country now has only 15 million doses of H5N1 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the supervision report of the Veterinary Agency under the MARD reveals that poultry sold at ten of 15 wholesale poultry markets carry H5N1 virus and up to 96% of ill poultry are not vaccinated.

To deal with the shortage of vaccine, the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control has sent representatives to China to negotiate to urgently buy 50 million doses of vaccine. The Veterinary Agency plans to import an additional 200 million doses of vaccine as soon as possible to inject into waterfowl nationwide.

(Source: SGGP)