Van Dang Ky, head of the Epidemiological Service of the Animal Health Department, talked about these pilot vaccinations in an exclusive interview granted to VOV on August 22.

VOV: Could you give further information about this drug?
Ky: In the face of blue ear disease spreading to many localities, especially in the eastern and western parts of the south, we asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) for permission to import more than 200,000 doses of blue ear vaccine from China’s Guangdong province. The drug is now undergoing clinical trials and will be used in high-risk areas in late August and early September. If the vaccine proves safe and effective, it will be circulated more widely.

Two groups of specialists from the Animal Health Department and the Livestock Breeding Department will be dispatched to south-eastern provinces to monitor the vaccinations.

VOV: Why did you choose this drug?
Ky: During a fact-finding tour of Guangdong, we found that this vaccine has proved to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease to several southern localities in 2009 and early 2010. Recently, the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) was reported in 7 out of 9 districts and towns in Vientiane (Laos). Chinese specialists made recommendations and shipped more than 20,000 doses of the vaccine to Laos. Chinese officials said the vaccination produced encouraging results. However, we need more time to see how the drug works.  

VOV: What will you do if this drug passes clinical tests?
Ky: If tests prove successful, we will probably use this vaccine against the epidemic in Vietnam. Guangdong will send specialists to Vietnam to monitor the vaccination. Both sides will organise a seminar to review the campaign and discuss preventative measures.