Poultry vaccinations will ensure that bird-flu outbreaks this year will be fewer than in previous years, the country's chief veterinary officer has said.

There were more than 80 outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 virus in 2004 and 2005 but "as long as we stick to the vaccination programme, we will dramatically reduce the likelihood of bird-flu outbreaks this year," Jia Youling said on Saturday.

As spring arrives and migratory birds fly north to their summer nesting grounds, Jia urged veterinary workers to continue with the "compulsory vaccination drive" throughout the country.

Veterinaries vaccinate a chicken in Yichang, Central China's Hubei Province in this photo taken on November 18, 2005. [newsphoto]

"China's experience has shown that vaccination is a very effective way to control bird flu," said Jia, also chief of the Veterinary Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Thanks to the unprecedented vaccination campaign, the mainland reported 32 outbreaks last year, compared with 50 in 2004, he told a press meeting.

Most of the 32 cases were in areas where vaccines were not properly administered, he added.

The three outbreaks reported this year also occurred in regions where vaccination efforts failed to meet standards, he said.

But the incidence is far lower than in the first three months of 2004, when 49 cases were detected throughout the country, he said.

Moreover, poultry farms which vaccinated their birds with ministry-approved vaccines have not seen any outbreak, Jia said.

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