Vietnam will start vaccinating fowlsnationwide against bird flu viruses, including the deadly strain H5N1, next month, one month ahead of schedule.

    Besides chickens and ducks, geese, quails and pigeons, especially those in the northern Red River Delta and the southern Mekong Delta, will also be vaccinated, the country´s Veterinary Department said Monday.

    The department noted that the pilot vaccination in southern Tien Giang province and northern Nam Dinh province has run smoothly.

    The department has asked localities nationwide to report the number of poultry and make preparation in terms of equipment and manpower for the vaccination. Vietnam will have had 415 million doses of vaccines in stock by late next month, the department said,noting that the vaccines are imported from China and the Netherlands.

    The country is spending around 446.6 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 28.3 million US dollars) on vaccinating 160 million poultryin the 2005-2006 period. In the coming months, it will vaccinate fowls in 48 cities and provinces with high risks of bird flu outbreaks.

    According to local veterinary agencies, up to 70 percent of waterfowls in the Mekong delta have been recently tested positive to H5N1. The country culled 4,620 poultry after they detected small outbreaks of bird flu in Hanoi, the capital city, and the three southern localities of Can Tho, Ben Tre and Dong Thap last month.

    Since the first bird flu patient was detected in Vietnam in late 2003, up to 91 human cases of infections, including 41 fatalities, have been reported in 31 cities and provinces.