Local veterinary officers and their role in disease prevention and control.

Considered the "extended arm" of the livestock industry, the team of grassroots veterinary officers has played a crucial role in advising, preventing, and controlling disease outbreaks over the years. Despite limitations in support mechanisms and a small workforce, they have successfully fulfilled their duties, becoming a trusted partner and supporter, helping livestock farmers invest confidently in production.

Veterinary officers in Tri Nang commune (Lang Chanh district) are vaccinating cattle and buffaloes at the facility.

Under the sweltering summer sun, we had the opportunity to accompany Mr. Ngan Van Xuan, a veterinary officer from Tri Nang commune (Lang Chanh district), to Nang Cat village to guide livestock farmers on measures to prevent and combat heat stress and to vaccinate their animals. Walking along the bumpy, rocky roads, we truly understood the hardships faced by the veterinary staff here. As he walked, Mr. Xuan recalled the peak days of disease prevention and vaccination against lumpy skin disease in buffaloes and cattle: “Being a veterinary officer in the lowlands is hard work, but it's even harder in mountainous communes because of the vast area. Many times, I had to rush from early morning to the villages and hamlets, going to each household to disseminate information, encourage participation, and implement vaccination. Many households didn't understand the severity of the disease and still raised livestock using grazing methods, so I had to notify them in advance or wait until evening when the buffaloes and cattle returned to their stalls before I could vaccinate them. Many households worked during the day and weren't home regularly, so I had to wait until noon or evening when they returned to work to vaccinate their buffaloes and cattle. At that time, lumpy skin disease outbreaks in buffaloes and cattle occurred simultaneously in many localities, so I didn't dare to be complacent or negligent. Taking advantage of the morning, noon, and evening hours to work was the only way to achieve high effectiveness in vaccination.”

Accompanying Mr. Xuan to Mr. Ha Van Canh's livestock farm, just as the buffaloes and cows returned to their pens, Mr. Xuan quickly got to work. While working, Mr. Xuan shared: "Previously, people didn't vaccinate their livestock because they were afraid their animals would stop eating and grow slowly... Understanding that mindset, we went to each house to spread awareness, explaining the benefits of vaccination, giving examples of livestock and poultry dying from disease so that people could see the harm of not vaccinating and neglecting disease prevention. Now, most people understand and agree, so each vaccination campaign is more successful."

From the practical experience of livestock development and animal disease prevention and control over the past years, it has been shown that the grassroots veterinary network operates quite effectively, from disease prevention and control to guiding people in caring for livestock and poultry, and applying science and technology. For example, in 2021, when a lumpy skin disease outbreak occurred in cattle and buffaloes in the province, Thanh Hoa was one of the first provinces in the country to declare the outbreak over within just 6 months. Similarly, outbreaks of African swine fever and H5N6 avian influenza were quickly detected and promptly controlled. Thanh Hoa is also one of the provinces with the highest vaccination rates in the country.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, a veterinary officer at the Trieu Son District Agricultural Service Center, said: "Currently, the entire district has 34 veterinary officers in the communes and towns. This is the core force, directly involved in disseminating information and guiding people to implement measures to prevent and control diseases in livestock and poultry; vaccinating; controlling and suppressing outbreaks; guiding people to raise livestock in a biosecure manner... In addition, veterinary officers also participate in controlling slaughter, inspecting veterinary hygiene and food safety; guiding the implementation of regulations on mandatory disease prevention for animals, buying and selling animals and animal products... With their dynamism, creativity and enthusiasm in their work, the team of veterinary officers has gradually changed outdated livestock farming practices, helping farmers access science and technology and become more aware of disease prevention and control."

Currently, most communes have only one veterinary officer who is responsible for multiple tasks. Some communes lack veterinary officers, or have officers with titles but no specialized expertise, which hinders proactive disease prevention and control, especially in responding to and containing outbreaks. To improve the effectiveness of commune-level veterinary officers, particularly in disease prevention and control, localities and the agricultural sector need to integrate funding sources to increase support and provide reasonable incentives so that veterinary officers can feel secure and dedicated to their work; invest in specialized equipment to enable the grassroots veterinary network to effectively perform its assigned tasks. Simultaneously, it is necessary to strengthen training, improve professional skills, and transfer new scientific and technical knowledge to grassroots veterinary officers.

Text and photos: Le Ngoc

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/can-bo-thu-y-co-so-voi-cong-tac-phong-chong-dich-benh-217534.htm