+4:3 Bird flu back in Asia, killing people and fowl in several countries

SHOTLIST Ha Nam province - 14 February 2012 ++16:9++ 1. Wide of duck farm 2. Various of ducks in pond 3. Mid of veterinarians walking in outbreak area 4. Close of veterinarian 5. Various of veterinarian spraying disinfectant 6. Mid of farmer Nguyen Van Duong, who lost 2,400 ducks to bird flu in January 2012 7. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Nguyen Van Duong, farmer: "I am devastated at losing my investment on the ducks, but I will do anything to work with the authorities to stop it from spreading. The last thing I want is an epidemic to happen again." 8. Various of veterinarian spraying disinfectant 9. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Nguyen Van Duong, veterinarian: "We were informed that the virus strain has mutated and outsmarted the vaccine. We are not sure of the efficiency of the vaccine now. But until a new vaccine is available, we will carry out the vaccination (with the old one) anyway. It is better than nothing." Hanoi - 16 February 2012 ++16:9++ 10. Wide exterior of WHO (World Health Organisation) Vietnam office 11. Mid of Doctor Babatunde Olowokure walking in 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Olowokure, WHO Medical Epidemiologist "We would not class this as an epidemic. Yes there are increasing numbers of poultry outbreaks and there is a threat to human health. But the government of Vietnam as well as WHO and various other partners have been providing information with regards to what people should do to protect themselves against bird flu." FILE - Hanoi, 29 October 2010 ++4:3++ 13. Various of bird flu vaccination STORYLINE: Bird flu has returned to Asia and beyond, killing people and fowl across several countries while Vietnam grapples with a new strain of the H5N1 virus that has outsmarted poultry vaccines long used to help protect its flocks. In Vietnam, there have been two bird flu related deaths since January, making them the first reported bird flu fatalities in nearly two years. It has also experienced a burst of poultry outbreaks in ten provinces nationwide over the same period. Roads leading to a village hit by an outbreak last week in Ha Nam province on the outskirts of the capital, Hanoi, were covered in a coat of lime powder to help control the spread. Watching veterinarians spraying disinfectants at his farm, Nguyen Van Duong feared a bird flu epidemic would return. 2,400 ducks on his farm were infected with bird flu and subsequently were culled last month. "I am devastated at losing my investment on the ducks, but I will do anything to work with the authorities to stop it from spreading. The last thing I want is an epidemic to happen again," Duong said. As winter cold snaps set in during the prime-time flu season, officials have issued fresh warnings for farmers to increase surveillance, especially since they can no longer rely on poultry vaccines to help keep the virus from spreading in the north and central regions where it has become useless. Since December, eight other people have died in Cambodia, Indonesia, Egypt and China, which had gone 18 months without a reported death. However, doctor Babatunde Olowokure, an epidemiologist with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam, ruled out a bird flu epidemic at this stage. The fresh wave of cases comes amid controversy over lab-created versions of the bird flu virus that spread more easily. After a public uproar over whether the results should be published, the scientists who developed the viruses agreed to temporarily halt their research. Experts have closely followed the H5N1 virus, which remains a bird-based disease that is hard for humans to catch. Vietnam is home to 61 of the 345 human bird flu deaths reported worldwide by WHO since 2003, the second-highest total after Indonesia. "It is better than nothing," Phong said. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/df5428209fd0bb5b37f7d772c3b1fcd8 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork