HANOI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has planned to import some two million doses of vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease from China next month, a local official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

    "We plan to buy about two million doses of vaccines against foot-and-mouth virus type O from China to serve the prevention work of some northern provinces such as Lang Son, Ha Giang, Quang Ninh, Dien Bien and Lai Chau," said Van Dang Ky, vice head of the Epidemiology Office of the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Vietnam is also expected to import two million doses of vaccines against the disease's viruses of different types from the United States and the Netherlands for the national reserve this month, he said.

    Amid the disease's spread to 36 cities and provinces across Vietnam, hitting some 36,500 pigs, bulls and buffaloes, the ministry has asked the government to establish a national steering committee on combating and preventing foot-and-mouth disease.

    Vietnam is intensifying control over cattle transport and trade in affected areas, offering financial assistance, ranging from 0.2-1 million Vietnamese dong (12.6-62.9 U.S. dollars), to raisers for each cattle culled, and vaccinating healthy animals, mainly bulls,cows and pigs. Enditem