Vaccination was not a "magic bullet" against bird flu, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Bangkok-based expert in viral diseases Subhash Morzaria said on Dec.1.
"It requires additional measures like surveillance, contingency plans and sound bio security," he told the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Capacity Building Workshop on Vaccination Against Avian Influenza in Hanoi.
Although vaccination was an essential tool in countries with a high number of human infections and economic losses, bio security was recommended when the virus first appeared, he said.
"If it's not acceptable to kill a large number of animals, infected countries must use vaccination."
But surveillance should be used with all vaccination programmes to detect outbreaks early as well as the incursion of any mutations and changes in clinical signs.
Seventeen countries have reported avian influenza outbreaks in animals this year - 11 of them in Asia, including Vietnam.The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 continued to threaten enormous impact on the security and economic development of all APEC member economies, said Assistant Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh.
The two-day workshop intended to foster cooperation and coordination between ASEAN member countries in coping with the disease has also attracted experts from such international organisations as the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE), FAO, as well as APEC and ASEAN Secretariat representatives.
"The workshop is an initial step to toward collaboration in avian influenza control and prevention between APEC members, focusing on a vaccination strategy," said Vinh.
OIE Asia-Pacific representative Kenji Sakurai said classical control measures such as early detection, the rapid confirmation of suspects and the enhancement of bio security, other than vaccination, had been successfully implemented in many countries.
But the measures had not succeeded in eliminating the H5N1 virus which persisted in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Egypt.
Vietnam has constrained H5N1 in people and poultry through the use of vaccine, but difficulties remain.
Bird flu returned to northern Nam Dinh province last month with 300 ducks dead after it was contained nationwide in July.
Sixty-two outbreaks have occurred in 23 provinces nation-wide this year, forcing the cull of 112,000 birds.
Northern Bac Ninh province Veterinary Department head Nguyen Nhan Lung said because Vietnam had to import vaccine, the province, which neighbours Hanoi, had not been able to vaccine its poultry on time.
Inadequate biosecurity, the shortage of laboratories and the devices necessary for the early detection of the virus compounded the difficulties, he said./.
