Vietnam can expect to start bird flu vaccine production this year, said Le Minh Sat, deputy director of the Science and Technology Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).

At a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Bird Flu Prevention in Hanoi on March 20, Mr Sat said that this month, the MoST is expected to complete the evaluation of the results of two research projects on bird flu vaccine production by the National Academy for Science and Technology and the Veterinary Institute.

Vaccine made by the two projects will be tested between four to five months on a large scale. If successful, the ministry will announce the production of bird flu vaccine in Vietnam.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong, there has been no new bird flu outbreak throughout the country during the last 15 days.