Bird flu outbreak ‘partially contained’
HA NOI — An official announced two-thirds of provinces affected by the bird flu are nearly clear of infections, noting they are "partially containing" the outbreak.
Bui Quang Anh, spokesman for the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control, said on Monday no new outbreaks had been detected for the past 10 to 25 days in 38 of the 57 provinces and cities hit by avian flu.
Anh said Long An, the first province struck by the virus, could be declared free of the bird flu as no infection had been recorded there in the past 30 days.
But he warned although the epidemic appears have stabilised, firm efforts to totally contain it were still required.
Anh said health and veterinary inspectors continued to monitor any potential new outbreak and "any bird suspected of infection would be immediately slaughtered".
The spokesman said local authorities had been asked to estimate losses caused by the bird flu and submit these figures to the Government for compensation to be worked out.
"We are preparing to declare the country free of the outbreak," Anh said.
In HCM City, the People’s Committee announced chicken sales would resume from March 5.
Phan Xuan Thao, deputy director of HCM City’s Animal Health Department said employees had been working to seize and destroy birds and eggs sold at markets until the city officially lifts the ban on poultry sales this Friday.
"For the time being we are destroying around 6,000 to 10,000 eggs a day," he said.
Thao said after the ban is removed, fowl and eggs sold at markets must be inspected and officially stamped by the department’s veterinary workers.
Nguyen Phuoc Thao, deputy director of HCM City’s National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control, said the city would relocate all chicken abbatoirs from the inner city to surrounding districts to limit potential outbreaks.
In Ha Noi, many food processors remain hesitant to make products containing bird meat although Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Le Huy Ngo suggested the capital’s poultry markets might start up in March.
Nguyen Minh Phong, director of Hien Thanh Chicken Processing Company, said limited bird stocks and consumer reluctance have subdued the market.
Phong said processors having to move production lines to uninfected areas had proved very expensive.
Nguyen Van Cong, director of the Phuc Thinh Poultry Company, suggested the city should set up places for processors to work and sell their products.
"It would help with safety and increase sales," he said. — VNS
