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Vietnam takes steps to head off flu pandemic
(NPR)
Updated: 2005-11-04 09:14

That means Vietnam can't stamp out bird flu just by killing sick birds. So it's trying to give flu shots to every last chicken and duck. The idea is to reduce the chance that the bird flu virus will jump from poultry to humans.

You can see the crash vaccination campaign in full swing by taking a short drive out of Hanoi, into the densely populated countryside. Serene rice paddies are dotted with bustling towns and tightly clustered hamlets.

Nguyen Thi Anh sells poultry at the Tangh Kong Market in Hanoi. Many of the ducks and chickens sold there can carry the H5N1 bird flu virus without showing symptoms. Health experts worry that mixing species "silently" spreads the virus. [NPR]

Luong Tan Tien stands in a vast parking lot in front of the People's Committee headquarters of Ha Tay Province, southwest of Hanoi. He's a veterinary technician, and he's a surreal figure, wearing a blue plastic gown, goggles and a plaid cloth tied over his mouth. As he lifts a big syringe, vaccine bubbles out in milky drops.

"We vaccinate the chicks here from 20 days to two months," he explains. "This is part of the national program here to provide the vaccination for all chickens, with international support."

Tien pinches the skin of a bird's naked belly and pumps in vaccine. He does this again and again and again for hundreds of squawking chickens.

Next in line is farmer Dong Van Tho. He patiently waits his turn, carrying a bamboo basket full of chickens.

"I heard from radio and also from TV and newspapers, that H5N1 is very dangerous," he says. "And therefore we have to bring all the chickens here to be vaccinated. I'm worried about getting the infection myself, and also members of my family."

Vaccinating chickens is only part of Vietnam's crash program to head off a pandemic.

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