Mr Sandberg told a conference in Hanoi on September 15 that Vietnam's success in this field has set an example for other countries to follow.

Dr. Tran Thu Thuy, Head of the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC)'s Healthcare Department, said since 2003 when the first outbreak was discovered, the Red Cross has held a number of training workshops, released information through mass media and spread leaflets on bird flu control, in an effort to increase the communal capacity of controlling the epidemic  and mitigating its impacts on human beings.

The association has joined Vietnam's taskforce in implementing the UN programme of cooperation on bird flu control and attended conferences in Jakarta, Beijing, Phnom Penh and Geneva to share experiences with other Red Cross associations.

VRC will hold a workshop on a trans-national project on bird flu control and epidemic prevention in coming October or November. The event will be also attended by the Red Cross associations from China, Laos and Cambodia.