Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Cao Duc Phat, expressed the issue of the bird flu urgently needing more coordination of ministries and related agencies during a meeting in Hanoi on February 13.
The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, police, representatives from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization.
The spread of the H7N9 virus among poultry in live-bird markets in China has significantly increased the risk that it will progressively spread to neighboring countries and pose a higher human health issues, said Pham Van Dong, chair of Department of Animal Health.
The H7N9 virus has infected 330 people and 70 deaths in China, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China) since Mark 2013. It is currently spreading through Guangxi Province, China which shares a border with Vietnam.
Veterinarians have discovered the virus in smuggled chicken from China, said Dong. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stationed police to nine border provinces to take samples for testing twice every week.
FAO representatives warn that Vietnam, Lao and Myanmar are at high risk of transmission. These countries should adopt emergency preparedness and response plans to effectively address virus outbreak.
