France, Holland to vaccinate against bird flu

FRANCE and Holland will begin vaccination programmes immediately in a bid to ward off bird flu as Europe braces itself for the next migration of millions of birds from Africa where the disease is spreading rapidly.

Ireland was one of the 21 countries which voted for the measure at a meeting of veterinary experts in Brussels yesterday. Four countries abstained, fearing it would lead to public pressure for wholesale vaccination.

Most other countries want to see how vaccination will work in advance of summer migration of birds from Africa, in particular, Nigeria, where the disease has spread rapidly.