HANOI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat approved a plan to spend seven million U.S. dollars on buying bird flu vaccination, the local newspaper Vietnam Economic Times reported Friday.

    The decision followed several recent bird flu outbreaks and one human infection case.

    The minister sent an urgent message to ask all localities nationwide to tighten the prevention of the disease and make sure all poultry are vaccinated.

    Phat also asked all localities to set up strict controls over the trade, transport, slaughtering and consumption of poultry to prevent the disease from spreading to humans.