The Government of Viet Nam’s strong commitment to fight highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is the reason behind the country's success in containing the disease. Since the first outbreak of HPAI in 2004, several donors and agencies including FAO have been supporting the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) through programmes and projects. These efforts have taken place in the context of the ‘Integrated National Operational Programme for Avian & Human Influenza 2006-2010’.

However, the H5N1 strain of influenza A is causing substantial ongoing losses across the poultry industry. It is considered a worldwide threat to human and demands a long term approach to control and elimination. Viet Nam is moving from the ‘control’ phase to the ‘consolidation’ phase, and there is an ongoing need for capacity building in the veterinary services and livestock production sectors, as well as continuous support for the mass vaccination campaign. To date a total of more than US$10 million has been given to the Government of Viet Nam through FAO to combat HPAI.

 
This project is entitled ‘Immediate technical assistance to strengthen emergency preparedness for highly pathogenic avian influenza to Viet Nam (OSRO/RAS/604/USA)’ and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The second phase of the project has a budget of US$3 100 000. FAO will implement the project in collaboration with MARD. The Department of Animal Health, the Department of Livestock Production and other Vietnamese agencies responsible for HPAI control will be the technical counterparts.

The project aims to achieve a situation by the end of 2010 in which Viet Nam no longer presents a risk for the development of human pandemic influenza from the H5N1 virus. The immediate outcome is to reduce the health risk to humans from avian influenza – in the medium term as well as the short term – by controlling the disease in poultry.