# 823
A month long campaign to either cull, or vaccinate, all water fowl has been ordered by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in Vietnam. An ambitious undertaking, to say the least.
And one that speaks to just how worried officials are in that country
Vietnam agriculture minister ups ante in bird flu fight
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat has instructed the poultry industry to immediately vaccinate or cull all water fowls.
Speaking at a session of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control and Prevention Tuesday, he stressed the importance of the directives saying he and his deputy Bui Ba Bong would directly supervise activities to contain the epidemic in the north and the month-long countrywide sterilization campaign beginning June 1.
The committee met to consider the increasing number of outbreaks of bird flu over the last month.
According to reports from veterinary missions that have been examining bird flu-infected localities, the immune rate of poultry is very low due to poor vaccination practices and uncontrolled hatching.
Head of MARD’s Veterinary Department, Bui Quang Anh, said bird flu had so far been reported in ten provinces and cities and fresh outbreaks had been found in the northern Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces and southern Dong Thap province.
This month over 49,000 birds have been found either dead or have been culled by health workers.
