A seminar was held in Hanoi on October 5 to discuss amendments and supplements to an action plan on preventing avian influenza in humans.

Participants at the event, co-hosted by the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Public Health and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, have agreed that in the future, the entire political system in the country will participate in the prevention and control of bird flu, with provincial, district and commune People’s Committees being empowered to instruct the fight against the disease in their areas.

Other measures will include increasing public awareness of the disease and intensifying measures to prevent avian influenza from communicating to humans.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Nga, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine, said Vietnam has stamped out avian influenza in humans after more than 17 months.

The country has reported seven human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1), four of which have died since May.