Vietnam has targeted to complete bird flu vaccination among poultry nationwide by mid-November, local newspaper New Hanoi on Thursday quoted the National Steering Committee on Anti-Bird Flu as saying.

Fowls, mainly chickens and ducks, in 47 out of 64 cities and provinces must be vaccinated against bird flu viruses, including the deadly strain H5N1, for the first time between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15. They will receive further vaccination until next year.

The total fund for vaccinating over 200 million fowls in the 2005-2006 is estimated at 700 billion Vietnamese dong (44.3 million US dollars). Vietnam will have had 415 million doses of vaccines, products of China and the Netherlands, in stock by late next month.

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.

Since the first bird flu patient was detected in Vietnam in late 2003, up to 91 human cases of infections, including 41 fatalities, have been reported in 31 cities and provinces.

Source: Xinhua