Vietnam is focusing on mobilizing all resources to prevent bird flu among humans, improve public awareness about the disease, and prepare medicines for potential outbreaks, a Vietnamese minister said Friday.

Vietnam prioritizes bird flu prevention, always fostering collaboration among ministries, agencies, and international organizations to mobilize all resources for the work, Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien said at a meeting to commemorate the World Health Day which falls on April 7.

The country is also intensifying propaganda activities to raise the awareness, enhancing capacity of health staff, and preparing bird flu medicines and equipment, she said.

Vietnam is closely working with foreign countries and international organizations, especially the World Health Organization (WHO) in sharing information, and mobilizing resources for the disease's prevention, she added.

At the meeting with the theme of "Working together to Prevent and Control Human Pandemic Influenza", Hans Troedsson, WHO representative in Vietnam, said "We have seen from SARS and avian influenza just how critical collaboration, information sharing and strengthening of public health systems are to build capacity and contain outbreaks of infectious disease. These must be strengthened further."

Vietnam has detected 93 bird flu patients, including 42 fatalities, in 32 localities, since the first case was detected in December 2003. It has seen no new human cases of infections since mid-November 2005.

Source: Xinhua