Vietnam - Bird flu vaccination programme to be launched in Tien Giang province

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will begin a vaccination programme against bird flu for all poultry in southern Tien Giang and northern Nam Dinh provinces in August, said Dr. Bui Quang Anh, Director of the ministry's Veterinary Department, at a conference on the vaccination programme in Tien Giang province on July 11. Under the plan, Tien Giang province will implement a pilot vaccination programme for poultry in three communes in Cho Gao and Cai Lay districts and My Tho town, which have large poultry farms. As from August 1 all chickens and ducks in the province will be vaccinated and the programme will end on August 21. Representatives of the Veterinary Department and the HCM City regional veterinary centre said they know that the vaccine is not poisonous and will not affect people's health because more than 2.7 million doses of the vaccine have already been used on a trial basis in different localities. To ensure the effectiveness of the programme, the HCM City regional veterinary centre and the provincial veterinary service have held a training course on vaccination, vaccine preservation and safety equipment for local technicians and workers at poultry farms. Tien Giang now has more than 2.9 million chickens, including more than one million raised in large farms. The province has actively taken measures to prevent any outbreak of bird flu, including the strict control of poultry farms and the slaughter, processing and transport of poultry and poultry products.