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US president praises Vietnam's bird flu fight
During a tour of a Vietnamese bird flu laboratory, US
President George W Bush praised Vietnam for its successful battle against AI,
while also pledging his support for the region's preparation for a potential
pandemic.
Crowds gathered in the streets to welcome Bush to the
Pasteur Institute, a Vietnamese
research institute for communicable diseases in southern Ho Chi Minh City.
Bush congratulated health officials on Vietnam's effort to combat
bird
flu, which earlier killed 42 people in Vietnam, but has not claimed any
victims during the past 12 months nor been detected in any poultry this
year.
Vietnam's success is largely credited to a nationwide poultry vaccination
campaign and strong political will to root out the virus.
"Vietnam is serving as a model of how people ought to react," Bush said,
vowing to continue supporting the country's fight against bird flu and
HIV/AIDS.
"The visit was very short, but it was a very significant one because the US
government, Vietnamese government, and governments worldwide are very interested
in HIV/AIDS and avian influenza control," said institute director Nguyen Thi Kim
Tien.
During his trip, Bush has praised cooperation among Southeast Asian nations
and the United States on fighting bird flu, but has emphasised that the region
must not relax its efforts to prevent future outbreaks and prepare for a
pandemic.
Editor WorldPoultry
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