Vietnam takes bolder measures to contain bird flu

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 29, 2004

Vietnam takes bolder measures to contain bird flu

Vietnam is making greater efforts in curbing the spread of bird flu, mainly by culling more fowls, safeguarding a hygienic environment, and spending more money on such activities.

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Vietnam is making greater efforts in curbing the spread of bird flu, mainly by culling more fowls, safeguarding a hygienic environment, and spending more money on such activities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged affected localities to rapidly destroy all poultry, both sick and healthy ones, and strictly detect cases of transporting fowls into and out of infected areas.

Relevant agencies are instructed to kill all fowls in bird flu-hit localities within a radius of three kilometers from centers ofthe outbreak, and apply a ban on transport of poultry within a radius of 10 kilometers.

By Wednesday, Ho Chi Minh city had destroyed nearly all of its fowl population, nearly two million. Meanwhile, 1.6 million poultry in southern Long An province and more than 1.2 million in southern Tien Giang province had died or been slaughtered.

After culling poultry, all localities are required to strictly follow the detoxification procedure: using chemicals, putting the fowls in plastic bags, spraying antiseptics, digging holes with depth of two meters, putting the bags in the holes, and dust with powdered lime around the holes to prevent pollution.

Vietnam now pays greater attention to ensuring a hygienic living environment, given that H5N1 can survive for long periods in water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus can survive for four days at 22 Celsius degrees and more than 30 days at zero Celsius degree.

Ho Chi Minh City is testing water samples taken from wells and tanks of local residents in affected areas and around chicken landfills to detect any signs of pollution in water sources. It will also offer the residents antiseptics to disinfect water for daily use.

Regarding chicken-related environment such as farms, markets and restaurants, the country is taking stronger preventive measures. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are striving to follow the motto: no eating, no trading, no transporting poultry and their eggs.

Ho Chi Minh City will complete the distribution of leaflets to each household by the end of this month, asking them not to eat, trade and transport fowls and eggs. No fowls are allowed to enter or go out of the city.

Meanwhile, Hanoi authorities have requested chicken farms to isolate quarantined fowls from no-quarantined ones, detoxificate all things in the farms, and disinfect clothes, footwear and toolsof all people going into the farms. Veterinarian cadres are on duty all day and night at chicken farms adjacent to big roads.

On Wednesday, the capital city started spraying chemicals to detoxificate all of its markets and poultry-transporting vehicles.It conducts the detoxification activity twice a day at the Long Bien wholesales market.

The two biggest cities, along with other localities, have established many mobile quarantine teams and checkpoints along roads leading to their territory to detect cases of transporting fowls. Violators are administrative punished heavily.

To provide more funds to anti-bird flu activities, the Vietnamese government is expected to grant an addition of roughly 2.4 billion Vietnamese dong (VND) (153,800 US dollars) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shortly.

The government is also expected to allow cities and provinces to offer raisers 20-30 percent of values of their fowls being destroyed. The localities will cover all expenses for equipment, chemicals and labor costs. Each person in charge of anti-bird flu checkpoints is daily offered 50,000 VND (3.2 dollars) on working days or 100,000 VND (6.4 dollars) on holidays.

In addition to internal sources, Vietnam has called for external collaboration and assistance. To date, four internationalbodies, namely the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health,and the US Center for Disease Control have helped the country dealwith bird flu.

On Wednesday, the Asian Development Bank announced that it is ready to assist bird flu-hit countries, including Vietnam. The bank can offer technical assistance, equipment and surveillance activities with an initial funding of some 800,000 dollars.

According to Vietnam's Central Veterinary Department, bird flu,by Wednesday, appeared in 569 communes in 101 districts in 31 cities and provinces, including 16 in the south and 15 in the north, infecting about 5 million poultry. Meanwhile, there were 55cases of flu type A infections and suspects, of whom 18 died.

Source: Xinhua

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