U.S. Supports ‘Three Good Things’ Media Campaign for Influenza Prevention

November 13, 2009

HANOI, Vietnam, November 13, 2009 – The United States Government is supporting Vietnam’s provincial officials in a new a mass media and social mobilization campaign reaching out to three million farmers and others working in the local poultry trade with key practices to prevent and control avian and human influenza. 

The Department of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this week launched the two-month campaign in Ha Nam, Kien Giang, and Quang Tri provinces.

The “Three Good Things” mass media activity features audio spots through provincial radio stations and commune loudspeakers, 36 billboards in high-traffic areas, and 200,000 comic flyers in the provinces. The campaign communicates three compelling human interest stories which promote the “good” practices of buying and selling healthy poultry, washing hands with soap and water before and after handling poultry, and immediate reporting of sick or dead poultry to the vet or village head. These three practices will likewise be promoted through 30 market events to be held in major trading centers.

It is the first time that provincial officials will use mass media and social mobilization in an integrated manner to reach farmers and those in the poultry trade like hatchery owners, transporters, slaughterers, market vendors and cooked food sellers with the messages. Provincial and district animal health officers of Ha Nam, Kien Giang, and Quang Tri have been directly involved in planning and carrying out the campaign.

Also with USAID support, the Department of Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization late last month launched television spots highlighting changes to Vietnam’s poultry vaccination program. Aired on television stations and commune loudspeakers through December 2009 in the provinces of Hau Giang, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh, and Soc Trang, these high-profile spots featuring popular actor Han Van Tinh will inform about four million farmers of the changes that will occur in the poultry vaccination program in their provinces.

Since 2005, the U.S. Government has allocated approximately $50 million to support Vietnam's programs to combat avian and pandemic influenza.