Vietnam will start vaccinating its 10 million white-winged ducks against bird flu viruses in March 2007, local newspaper Youth said on Thursday.

The Department of Animal Health under the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will use H5N9 vaccines imported from Italy to vaccinate the white-winged ducks, which are similar to ducks but bigger.

Over 80 percent of the white-winged ducks vaccinated against bird flu virus strain H5N9 in a recent trial vaccination have developed immunity ability, according to Vietnam's Veterinary Institute.

The result was of importance because the country, which has already vaccinated chickens and ducks nationwide, earlier had not found suitable products to vaccinate its white-winged duck population, the institute said.

Vietnam has vaccinated all 140 million chickens and ducks nationwide in the second batch of bird flu vaccination, finishing its two-phase vaccination plan for 2006, the department said.

The country, to prevent reoccurrence of bird flu outbreaks, is intensifying fight against fowl smuggling, and monitoring poultry transport and trade.

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

Source: Xinhua