On October 28, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat signed a decision to temporarily suspend the import of all types of poultry and ornamental birds from abroad into Vietnam from November 1, 2005, to March 31, 2006. This measure aims to prevent the outbreak of avian influenza.
At a press conference on the afternoon of October 28, Head of the Veterinary Department Bui Quang Anh reported that in October 2005, two localities in Vietnam detected mass poultry deaths. In Dong Thap, 400 ducks were found dead, with test results confirming the presence of H5N1; in Bac Lieu, a flock of over 1,000 ducks died sporadically, with test results positive for the avian influenza A virus.
According to Mr. Quang Anh, considering both natural and social conditions, Vietnam is at high risk of a resurgence of avian influenza. Although the government has implemented many decisive measures to prevent the outbreak, the execution in many localities has not been sufficiently resolute. Therefore, in the coming time, sectors and localities need to adopt even more vigorous measures to prevent the risk of an outbreak as winter approaches.
As of now, the veterinary sector has imported and distributed 140 million doses of vaccine to localities, of which nearly 70 million doses have been sent to local areas for vaccination of poultry.
According to the plan, from November 3 to 5, vaccines from China will continue to be transported to Vietnam to support the second vaccination campaign in the localities.
