Venues include the capital city of Hanoi, Hai Phong City, Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Thai Binh provinces in the north, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces in the centre and Ho Chi Minh City, Tra Vinh, An Giang, Ben Tre and Kien Giang provinces in the south.

The focus will be on the inspection of local bird flu control activities, the surveillance, control, transportation, slaughtering and sales of poultry and poultry products and other preventive measures including launching vaccination campaigns against bird flu, stopping incubation of poultry eggs and implementing the Month of Action on chemical sterilisation and disinfection.

Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) are inspecting bird flu prevention in the Mekong delta provinces of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu after bird flu recurred there. The ministry will also intensify surveillance measures in northern border provinces, Red River Delta provinces and coastal central provinces.

Bird flu outbreaks were reported in the Mekong delta province of Hau Giang on December 26, bringing the total number of affected provinces to three in the region.

Speaking at a conference on bird flu prevention in Can Tho city on December 28, delegates pointed to several difficulties in containing the epidemic in the region, including lack of veterinarians in localities. They cited bird flu recurrence in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu as an example, saying veterinarians were sent to affected areas a week after bird flu had recurred.

Bui Quang Anh, head of the MARD’s Veterinary Department, warned cities and provinces of negligence among a segment of local administrations and people in prevention activities and said veterinarians will be disciplined if they show irresponsibility.

Bui Ba Bong, MARD Deputy Minister and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control, asked Mekong Delta provinces to spare no effort in containing the epidemic. He asked them to quickly detect, isolate and prevent the spread of the disease, and prepare for intensive vaccination campaigns in 2007.

In a telegram released on December 28, Head of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control Cao Duc Phat requested cities and provinces to establish mobile veterinary teams at the main arteries and border crossings to monitor the transportation and trade in poultry and poultry-related products from now till the traditional lunar New Year holiday.