Veterinarians find themselves on front line in battle against bird flu
16:03' 23/07/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge ? The veterinary network at the commune and ward level is indispensable in fighting avian influenza outbreaks, according to the chief technical advisor for bird flu control project organised by the French non-profit organisation Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders).
Hoang Hai Hoa, speaking at a seminar late last week on raising awareness about bird flu control, said the local veterinary network was on the frontline of identifying the deadly virus in poultry raised by the more than 24mil people nationwide involved in small-scale livestock farming.
This network reports bird flu cases to a higher level for immediate action and helps deal with infected poultry or waterfowl.
The French group has found that of Vietnam's 40,000 para-professional veterinarians working in communes and wards, about half have a degree in agriculture, livestock or veterinary medicine while the rest have undergone only brief training courses.
Even though the Government regulations requires each commune and ward to have at least one veterinarian, it does not specify who is responsible for paying them.
Because the Ministry of Finance has refused to pay them a fixed salary because of the disproportionately high costs, local veterinarians must earn a living independently by selling medicines to farmers when livestock are sick and giving vaccinations to the animals twice a year.
Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres, realising the lack of appropriate training for the veterinary network, has been working with the Department of Animal Health to provide training.
"We try to train these para-vets to become key persons so they will be able to talk to local farmers about epidemiology, and epidemic control protocol. The para-vets also report the disease when it happens," Hoa said.
With the funding of USAID and the Kenan Institute Asia (K.I. Asia), the French group has also prepared, and provided para-vets in 30 provinces with a set of training materials about bird flu epidemiology investigation, bird flu diagnosis, and the prevention and control of bird flu outbreaks at small-scale farms.
At a seminar organised by Vitalac, participants from livestock-raising companies, animal feed companies and pharmaceutical companies learned about investigation methods used in France, hygiene standards and managerial methods, used to prevent and curb the spread of the virus among livestock farms.
(Source: Viet Nam News)
16:03' 23/07/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge ? The veterinary network at the commune and ward level is indispensable in fighting avian influenza outbreaks, according to the chief technical advisor for bird flu control project organised by the French non-profit organisation Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders).
Hoang Hai Hoa, speaking at a seminar late last week on raising awareness about bird flu control, said the local veterinary network was on the frontline of identifying the deadly virus in poultry raised by the more than 24mil people nationwide involved in small-scale livestock farming.
This network reports bird flu cases to a higher level for immediate action and helps deal with infected poultry or waterfowl.
The French group has found that of Vietnam's 40,000 para-professional veterinarians working in communes and wards, about half have a degree in agriculture, livestock or veterinary medicine while the rest have undergone only brief training courses.
Even though the Government regulations requires each commune and ward to have at least one veterinarian, it does not specify who is responsible for paying them.
Because the Ministry of Finance has refused to pay them a fixed salary because of the disproportionately high costs, local veterinarians must earn a living independently by selling medicines to farmers when livestock are sick and giving vaccinations to the animals twice a year.
Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres, realising the lack of appropriate training for the veterinary network, has been working with the Department of Animal Health to provide training.
"We try to train these para-vets to become key persons so they will be able to talk to local farmers about epidemiology, and epidemic control protocol. The para-vets also report the disease when it happens," Hoa said.
With the funding of USAID and the Kenan Institute Asia (K.I. Asia), the French group has also prepared, and provided para-vets in 30 provinces with a set of training materials about bird flu epidemiology investigation, bird flu diagnosis, and the prevention and control of bird flu outbreaks at small-scale farms.
At a seminar organised by Vitalac, participants from livestock-raising companies, animal feed companies and pharmaceutical companies learned about investigation methods used in France, hygiene standards and managerial methods, used to prevent and curb the spread of the virus among livestock farms.
(Source: Viet Nam News)