Urgent measures be promptly deployed to combat avian flu: minister

Head of the National Steering Committee for Combating Avian Influenza Cao Duc Phat called on all localities to promptly implement urgent measures to combat avian influenza.

In his November 16 telegram sent to provincial and city authorities, Phat, who is Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, asked grassroots administrations to keep a close watch on the developments of bird flu outbreaks in order to immediately take actions to stamp them out at the root.

He ordered that when a spot is found to have bird flu infection, it must be cordoned for a radius of 3 kilometres while quarantine checkpoints must be set up on the perimeter of the area to monitor the transport of poultry in and out.

The Avian Flu Combating Head also called for the participation of veterinarians, health workers, militiamen, armymen, students and pupils to work at quarantine checkpoints to ensure that they are staffed around the clock, as well as join in other activities to contain bird flu outbreaks.

Phat underscored the need to increase the dissemination of advisory warnings against the diseases in both poultry and humans, reinforce the surveillance of the disease and vaccination drives, and strictly monitor the trade of poultry meat and other products.

The National Steering Committee for Combating Avian Flu plans to organise a rehearsal for an outbreak of avian influenza among humans in Ha Noi on November 27.

The event will see the participation of around 1,100 health workers from Sain Paul, Dong Da, and Thanh Nhan hospitals, and health clinics at several inner districts, and 20 ambulances and medical facilities.

Viet Nam has reported no cases of H5N1 infection between November 10-16, with suspected cases from the period testing negative.

Bird flu was responsible for 42 deaths out of 92 H5N1 infections in Viet Nam since the first outbreak was detected in the country

(Source: VNA)