Tran Van Viet, a farmer in Ninh Khang commune, Hoa Lu district, northern Ninh Binh province, spent VND18 million on purchasing 550 more breeding ducks from another farmer in northern Nam Dinh province. Several days later, half of them died and many others got sick. Blood samples showed that the new breeding ducks were unvaccinated and tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus. 

Similarly, fresh outbreaks were found in 12 farms in Luc village, Tan My commune, Yen Dung district of northern Bac Giang province where 778 ducks and 246 chickens got sick and died. Test results showed that the birds were positive for H5N1 virus.

According to Hoang Dang Huyen, head of the Bac Giang provincial Veterinary Agency, not all fowl and waterfowl in Bac Giang have been vaccinated against bird flu, sparking fresh outbreaks in the province. In addition, the province lacks modern testing equipment.

The Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reports that many localities have failed to follow regulations on egg-hatching procedures and the transport of waterfowl, after the MARD deadline to halt egg hatching expired on February 27, 2007. As a result between 50,000-70,000 young ducks have been transported to seven Red River delta and north-central provinces without quarantine.

“Most egg-hatching establishments are small-scale and unregistered centres which do not conduct veterinary checks frequently. Therefore, they are unable to control the origin of the eggs,” said head of the Veterinary Department Bui Quang Anh. “In addition, localities fail to control the transport, trading and slaughtering of poultry and related products, while veterinary checkpoints do not operate efficiently.”

Mr Anh pointed out the fact that many farmers have a habit of permitting free-range roosting for waterfowls after they harvest rice, and most waterfowls are unvaccinated.

According to MARD Deputy Minister Bui Ba Bong, localities should strictly follow regulations on vaccinations to ensure that all birds receive adequate shots, meeting technical specifications. In addition, they should control the origin of eggs for hatching and enhance supervision of egg-hatching establishments.

“Eggs will be destroyed if egg-hatching establishments do not meet technical specifications. In addition, we should keep a close watch on the transport of poultry, particularly those from the border areas,” said Mr Bong.

According to MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat, the ratio of vaccinated poultry in localities remains low, standing at 60-70 percent, some localities even report a very low ratio of 30 percent.

“If these gaps are not filled, an epidemic could break out at any time,” warned Mr Phat.