More than 3 million doses of vaccine against the H5N1 strain of
the bird flu virus were dispatched to northwest China's Qinghai
Province on Saturday immediately after the Ministry of
Agriculture (MOA) confirmed the deaths of migratory birds from the
disease.
The number of doses matches the province's poultry population,
said Dang Chenyan from the animal diseases office, which has
launched a compulsory vaccination campaign across the province
under the instruction of the MOA.
All domesticated birds in the area of Niannaisuoma Village,
Gangcha County, where the dead birds were found, were prioritized
for vaccination on Saturday, as were poultry raised near migratory
bird routes.
All vaccinations in the province are due to be completed over
the coming two days.
As an additional preventive measure, the
bird island scenic spot in Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater
lake in China, has closed to visitors and two inspection and
quarantine stations were established to prevent entry.
The 0.27-square-kilometer island is home to more than 100,000
birds including rare species such as swan, black-necked cranes and
brown-headed gull, and will reopen after the bird flu is under
control, sources said.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)
