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Bird-flu vaccination programme suspected of fraud
16:07' 06/06/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge ? A rumour says that the national programme to vaccinate fowls with bird-flu vaccines worth tens of billions of dong may fail as the bird-flu virus changes constantly. Deputy Director of the National Veterinary Testing Centre Nguyen Van Cam on June 5 showed ample evidence to reject the concern.
Last weekend this centre injected H5N1 virus into 27 chickens that had not been vaccinated and all of them died. The virus was also injected into 20 vaccinated chickens and only one had died within four days of being injected.
?The tests show that the vaccine is effective for H5N1 virus in Vietnam,? Mr Cam said.
Another Deputy Director of the centre, To Long Thanh, said that the agency brought six types of bird-flu virus to China for testing by a Chinese expert, who created many kinds of vaccines, including the bird-flu vaccine that Vietnam is using. The results show that the viruses found in Vietnam are very similar to the kind of virus that caused bird flu in China in 2005. Thus, the vaccine that Vietnam has used since 2005 is still suitable.
Mr Thanh also quoted an Australian doctor, who was the first person to bring bird-flu vaccine to Hong Kong in 1997, as rejecting the information that the vaccine produced by China prevents Z type virus while G type virus is popular in Vietnam so the vaccine is ineffective.
Is there fraud in bird-flu vaccination programme?
Mr Cam said that the immunity ratio of vaccinated fowls was very low in many provinces. For example, of 13 flocks of vaccinated chickens that were selected at random for observation in the northern province of Quang Ninh, one doesn?t have antibodies. Also in this province, two of six flocks of ducks had immunity ratios from zero to 33%. In Hai Duong, three of eight monitored flocks of ducks didn?t have antibodies.
In the northern province of Nam Dinh, which was selected for an experimental vaccination of bird flu and where all two injections have been completed, the immunity ratio is still low.
?The low ratio of immunity is perhaps caused by wrong injection techniques. If the immunity ratio is zero percent, we really need to inspect whether the fowls have been vaccinated or not,? Mr Cam said.
At a meeting of the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control held on June 5, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat also said it was worrying when provinces, particularly those in the north, reported high percentages of fowls that had been injected with bird-flu vaccine but the disease still appears in the north.
?It is necessary to consider this issue. If vaccination is ineffective, we have to vaccinate fowls again,? the minister emphasised.
Bird flu can outbreak on national scale
According to veterinary experts, disease germs exist everywhere in the environment. Up to 8.33% of unvaccinated water fowls in Bac Giang and 46% in Bac Ninh provinces, all in the north, are infected with H5N1 virus. In all 15 provinces reporting bird flu, the disease mainly attacks water fowls.
This fact stirs the controversy about whether the agriculture sector should continue to follow Decision 17 to reproduce the water fowl flock.
(Source: VNE)
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/reports/2007/06/703254/
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16:07' 06/06/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge ? A rumour says that the national programme to vaccinate fowls with bird-flu vaccines worth tens of billions of dong may fail as the bird-flu virus changes constantly. Deputy Director of the National Veterinary Testing Centre Nguyen Van Cam on June 5 showed ample evidence to reject the concern.
Last weekend this centre injected H5N1 virus into 27 chickens that had not been vaccinated and all of them died. The virus was also injected into 20 vaccinated chickens and only one had died within four days of being injected.
?The tests show that the vaccine is effective for H5N1 virus in Vietnam,? Mr Cam said.
Another Deputy Director of the centre, To Long Thanh, said that the agency brought six types of bird-flu virus to China for testing by a Chinese expert, who created many kinds of vaccines, including the bird-flu vaccine that Vietnam is using. The results show that the viruses found in Vietnam are very similar to the kind of virus that caused bird flu in China in 2005. Thus, the vaccine that Vietnam has used since 2005 is still suitable.
Mr Thanh also quoted an Australian doctor, who was the first person to bring bird-flu vaccine to Hong Kong in 1997, as rejecting the information that the vaccine produced by China prevents Z type virus while G type virus is popular in Vietnam so the vaccine is ineffective.
Is there fraud in bird-flu vaccination programme?
Mr Cam said that the immunity ratio of vaccinated fowls was very low in many provinces. For example, of 13 flocks of vaccinated chickens that were selected at random for observation in the northern province of Quang Ninh, one doesn?t have antibodies. Also in this province, two of six flocks of ducks had immunity ratios from zero to 33%. In Hai Duong, three of eight monitored flocks of ducks didn?t have antibodies.
In the northern province of Nam Dinh, which was selected for an experimental vaccination of bird flu and where all two injections have been completed, the immunity ratio is still low.
?The low ratio of immunity is perhaps caused by wrong injection techniques. If the immunity ratio is zero percent, we really need to inspect whether the fowls have been vaccinated or not,? Mr Cam said.
At a meeting of the National Steering Board for Bird Flu Control held on June 5, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat also said it was worrying when provinces, particularly those in the north, reported high percentages of fowls that had been injected with bird-flu vaccine but the disease still appears in the north.
?It is necessary to consider this issue. If vaccination is ineffective, we have to vaccinate fowls again,? the minister emphasised.
Bird flu can outbreak on national scale
According to veterinary experts, disease germs exist everywhere in the environment. Up to 8.33% of unvaccinated water fowls in Bac Giang and 46% in Bac Ninh provinces, all in the north, are infected with H5N1 virus. In all 15 provinces reporting bird flu, the disease mainly attacks water fowls.
This fact stirs the controversy about whether the agriculture sector should continue to follow Decision 17 to reproduce the water fowl flock.
(Source: VNE)
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/reports/2007/06/703254/
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