Viet Nam is one of the most successful countries in implementing strategies to control HPAI. It has however, become clear that long-term efforts will be required for sustainable outcomes through a coordinated process as documented in the Integrated National Operational Program for Avian and Human Influenza (OPI) 2006-2010 or the ‘Green Book’.
FAO Country Strategy and Work Plan for 2007-2010 was recently developed with the vision to achieve a situation by the end of 2010 in which Viet Nam no longer represents a risk for development of human pandemic influenza from H5N1 virus.
The Country Strategy describes FAO’s continuing role in participating with the Government and other implementing partners in meeting the objectives outlined in the Green Book.
Four key objectives of the strategy includes:
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To improve veterinary service capacity in disease surveillance, epidemiology and outbreak containment at national, provincial and district levels;
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To support field activities for HPAI surveillance, prevention and outbreak containment;
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To improve HPAI preventive measures in poultry production and marketing and in international border control; and
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To monitor the impact of HPAI, actions taken for HPAI prevention and control, and FAO’s activities, and modify approaches accordingly.
The Work Plan serves to place the activities of the projects implemented through FAO in the overall context of the country’s needs with monitoring and evaluation framework and identifies activities that are not yet planned but in which FAO could participate.
Successful sustainable control of the disease will need an increased capacity to undertake disease prevention and control activities and a decrease in the risk factors that allow the virus to persist.
Attention will be focused on strengthening veterinary services by enhancing skills and improving linkages between national, regional, provincial and district levels of the regulatory services.
FAO will endeavour to assist the Government in drawing together many initiatives on disease surveillance, epidemiological analysis, improvement of biosecurity and hygiene in poultry value chain, that are being implemented in selected provinces. Those proving most successful will be identified and advocated for their adoption nationally.
This Strategy and Work plan is part of a dynamic process which will be continuously reviewed and updated.