In a country that has had the highest number of human fatalities from bird flu, the United Nations and the Government of Vietnam launched a media campaign to educate the public on how to stop the spread of a disease that has killed 79 people worldwide and led to millions of chickens being slaughtered.

The campaign comes as Vietnam gears up for the Lunar New Year festival of Tet, a time when the whole country celebrates and when chicken consumption, transport and handling all increase dramatically, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

"This is the beginning of a longer-term intensive campaign to provide the public with simple, clear messages on how they can protect themselves, their families and their communities from this very serious threat," said Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat.

UNDP said even though there had been no new outbreaks of avian influenza among birds in Vietnam since 15 December, and no reported human cases for over two months, it was nevertheless important to educate the people on how to stop the further spread of the disease.

"Bird flu kills but it can be prevented. It is critical that individuals recognise the important role they have to play in preventing further outbreaks and the spread of the virus," said Jesper Morch, the UN resident co-ordinator.

The information campaign, which will be broadcast on all media in Vietnam, will focus on promoting four key messages. These relate to avoiding contact with sick or dead poultry, handling and slaughtering poultry safely, cooking poultry thoroughly and maintaining good hygiene standards when handling poultry, states an UN release.

During the last two years, six countries have reported outbreaks of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus in people, and most human fatalities have been in Vietnam.

More than 140 million chickens have been slaughtered to try and contain the disease but this has caused massive economic hardship to farmers while spreading fear in their communities.

So far, the virus has only spread from infected animals to humans, but the UN World Health Organization has warned that it could change into a form that spreads easily from person to person, triggering an influenza pandemic which could kill tens of millions of people worldwide.

In humans, treatment with antiviral medicines is one way to reduce death and illness. WHO has been building up drug stockpiles at different locations worldwide for quick distribution in case of an emergency.

Earlier this month, donors pledged $1.9 billion to fight the spread of the disease, and UN secretary-general Kofi Annan called for a large-scale, coordinated international response to the virus.

"To be truly prepared, we will need to mount a massive effort - from upgrading veterinary systems and launching vaccination drives, to encouraging change in the ways people coexist with animals," Annan said, pointing out that the cost of action now was small compared to the price of tackling a pandemic.