HANOI, Sept. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnam will import an addition of 260 million doses of vaccines against bird flu to inoculate its flock of poultry, according to Vietnam News Agency on Monday.
Earlier, the country imported 120 million doses of vaccines. The total 380 million doses of vaccines are expected to cost Vietnam some 100 billion Vietnamese dong (6.3 million US dollars).
Vietnam is conducting bird flu vaccination among fowls in 33 out of 64 cities and provinces. Under a recent instruction of the Vietnamese government, the vaccination among fowls, mainly chickens and ducks, must be completed by late November at the latest.
The government urged relevant ministries to rapidly cull infected fowls, isolate bird flu outbreaks, and forbid the transport of poultry as well as poultry products out of affected areas, if the disease is spotted in any localities.
According to local veterinary agencies, up to 70 percent of waterfowls in the southern Mekong delta have been recently tested positive to H5N1. Vietnam has culled over 1,300 fowls in the eight localities of Dong Thap, Ben Tre, Can Tho, Tra Vinh, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Bac Ninh and Hanoi since early April.
To prevent new bird flu outbreaks as well as early detect infections among humans, Vietnam's Health Ministry is proposing the World Health Organization assist the country in establishing surveillance systems at 800 hospitals nationwide.
Besides, the United States has promised to offer 2.5 million dollars to help Vietnam boost its bird flu surveillance network over the next 5 years.
The ministry has confirmed that a total of 64 local people from25 localities had been infected with bird flu since early this year, of whom 21 died. Enditem
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