Special report: Global fight against bird flu

    HANOI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has asked local relevant agencies to strengthen bird flu vaccinations among fowls to prevent the disease's spread, local newspaper People's Army reported Thursday.

    The government has required the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to frequently vaccinate poultry, especially baby ones.

    Vietnam has planned to import additional 500 million doses of bird flu vaccines for fowls, expected to be used in the 2007-2008 period.

    The country has so far this year vaccinated 139 million fowls in 63 out of its 64 cities and provinces, including nearly 80.6 million chickens, 55 million ducks and roughly 3.5 million white-winged ducks, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Bird flu, starting to strike Vietnam in December 2003, has hit 16 Vietnamese cities and provinces nationwide since early May.