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Raising public awareness key to fighting bird flu: meeting
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02HEA230906
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02HEA230906
HANOI
Public education will play an integral part in the second phase of the US$23 million Joint Government-UN Programme to fight avian flu, according to a meeting in Ha Noi yesterday.
The meeting was held to co-ordinate educational awareness plans for the second phase of the programme and to ensure that all participants, the Animal Health Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Children?s Fund (UNICEF), were all on the same page in efforts to fight the pandemic.
The participants agreed on the need to continue raising public awareness and education initiatives on avian flu, as cases have again been reported in neighbouring countries.
The $16.2 million-second phase of the joint programme will focus on public education, capacity building and providing supplies of hygiene kits.
The first phase of the joint programme ran at a cost of $6.9 million, was carried out between October 2005 and July this year, and was primarily concerned with emergency support.
Aiming at capacity building support, the second phase will be carried out up until 2010.
"In order to better prevent the epidemic, paving the way towards eliminating it in Viet Nam by 2010, the information, education and communication (IEC) plan is of pressing need.
We need to mobilise the entire population to actively participate in the prevention," said deputy director of Animal Health Department, Hoang Van Nam.
The IEC, which is aimed at helping each person understand the danger of the epidemic, carry out preventive measures and safely consume poultry products, could be conducted through the mass media or distribution of booklets, leaflets, posters or video clips.
Unlike other countries in the region, Viet Nam has been free from the lethal bird flu virus for nine months. ? VNS
Public education will play an integral part in the second phase of the US$23 million Joint Government-UN Programme to fight avian flu, according to a meeting in Ha Noi yesterday.
The meeting was held to co-ordinate educational awareness plans for the second phase of the programme and to ensure that all participants, the Animal Health Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Children?s Fund (UNICEF), were all on the same page in efforts to fight the pandemic.
The participants agreed on the need to continue raising public awareness and education initiatives on avian flu, as cases have again been reported in neighbouring countries.
The $16.2 million-second phase of the joint programme will focus on public education, capacity building and providing supplies of hygiene kits.
The first phase of the joint programme ran at a cost of $6.9 million, was carried out between October 2005 and July this year, and was primarily concerned with emergency support.
Aiming at capacity building support, the second phase will be carried out up until 2010.
"In order to better prevent the epidemic, paving the way towards eliminating it in Viet Nam by 2010, the information, education and communication (IEC) plan is of pressing need.
We need to mobilise the entire population to actively participate in the prevention," said deputy director of Animal Health Department, Hoang Van Nam.
The IEC, which is aimed at helping each person understand the danger of the epidemic, carry out preventive measures and safely consume poultry products, could be conducted through the mass media or distribution of booklets, leaflets, posters or video clips.
Unlike other countries in the region, Viet Nam has been free from the lethal bird flu virus for nine months. ? VNS