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While Vietnam has certainly made immense progress in its battle against the H5N1 virus, there can be little doubt that bird flu remains endemic in that country.
This year, 26 of Vietnam's 64 districts have reported outbreaks in poultry. And while the number of human infections has fallen dramatically over the past couple of years, a resurgence is feared.
Raising awareness, particularly among villagers and people who raise poultry, remains a high priority. Joint projects between USAID and UNICEF are working to raise public awareness on the bird flu issue, along with UN agencies like the WHO and the FAO.
This report from IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks) which is an independent part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
VIETNAM: Uphill battle to raise awareness of bird flu
Photo: Biotec
Veterinary officials check for avian influenza.
HAI NAM , 29 August 2008 (IRIN) - The key message that needs to be heard is that Avian Influenza (AI) is endemic in Vietnam and needs to be controlled, say UN officials involved in the battle to identify and contain avian influenza outbreaks.
According to the Vietnam Partnership for Avian and Human Influenza (PAHI), three provinces have reported new outbreaks in recent weeks.
Since the start of 2008, 44 districts in 26 of Vietnam's 64 provinces have reported outbreaks, highlighting the challenge the country faces in controlling the disease.
Overall since 2003, Vietnam has had 106 cases of human avian flu and 52 deaths.
Yet compared to 2004 and 2005, when 90 cases of human infection occurred with 39 deaths, [] Vietnam has made huge strides, according to David Payne, the UN Development Programme avian influenza specialist in Hanoi, "with only five infections since March 2008, all of whom died".
Payne gives the Vietnamese government high marks for recognising early on the severity of the AI problem and turning to the UN and the humanitarian community for advice and support.
"The office of the UN resident representative for Vietnam - with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) taking the lead - has worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other relevant ministries," said Payne, adding that UN agencies have taken a united approach to assisting the government.
