Vietnam is expected to use domestically-made vaccines against bird flu viruses among fowls early next year, after successfully testing them on chickens and white-winged ducks, local newspaper Labor reported Wednesday.

The Central Veterinary Institute is now determining suitable volume of each dose of the vaccines, and completing procedures for standard recognitions, including those relating to safety and production process, the newspaper quoted the institute's director Truong Van Dung as saying.

Vietnam has planned to build 64 freezing facilities in all cities and provinces nationwide to preserve the vaccines.

The country, which has recently completed this year's first batch of bird flu vaccination among fowls nationwide, plans to finish the second batch by late November.

As of late last month, the country had vaccinated some 134 million poultry. Testing specimens from vaccinated chickens and ducks in 19 cities and provinces nationwide indicated that 60 percent of the fowls in the northern region, over 85 percent in the central region, and more than 75 percent in the southern region have developed capacity of not contracting bird flu virus strain H5, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Bird flu outbreaks, starting in the country in December 2003, have killed and led to the forced culling of dozens of millions of fowls. The last outbreak of bird flu among poultry in Vietnam was in December 2005, said the department.

Source: Xinhua