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Serbia to Begin Large-Scale Vaccination Against Avian Flu

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 09:01 CDT

Serbia to begin large-scale vaccination against avian flu

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Serbia said on Tuesday that it would begin large-scale vaccination against avian flu as the Balkan region is on red alert against the threat.

Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said that from Nov. 1, all the 150 health centers in Serbia will begin vaccination against avian flu according to the adopted plan of priorities.

Speaking at a press conference, Milosavljevic said that 300,000 doses of the vaccine will be administered and expenses will be covered by the government's Health Insurance Fund.

He said that vaccines have also been procured for sale to the general public in pharmacies.

Cases of bird flu have begun to spring up around the Balkan region, first in Romania and Turkey and now in Greece. Greece has confirmed it has detected one case of bird flu on the island of Chios, making it the first EU country to be infected with the virus.

The Serbian Agriculture Ministry's Veterinary Administration Director, Dejan Krnjaic, confirmed that no cases of the flu have been reported.

"We are in the field and are testing all animals that are suspected of being ill, but have not found any cases of the bird flu for now. The health risks for humans at this point are minimal, " Krnjaic told the local B92 radio.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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