Proactively prevent avian influenza in livestock

Since the beginning of the year, bird flu has occurred in several localities across the country; in particular, the neighboring province of Khanh Hoa has had a death due to bird flu. Authorities have determined that if drastic disease prevention measures are not taken, the risk of infection and outbreak of bird flu in the province's livestock is inevitable.

Phu Yen Newspaper talked with Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine about the current work of preventing avian influenza.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lam

* Could you tell us how the bird flu epidemic is currently developing?

- According to the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), in the first two months of 2024, nearly 1,300 avian influenza outbreaks occurred in more than 40 countries and territories.

In Vietnam, according to the report of the Department of Animal Health (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), since the beginning of the year, there have been 7 outbreaks of influenza A (H5N1) in poultry in 7 provinces including: Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An, Tien Giang and Vinh Long, with 11,569 poultry infected; 12,424 poultry died and had to be destroyed (an increase of about 25% compared to the same period in 2023). Avian influenza virus strains are circulating in many localities at a fairly high rate (about 5%) including strains A(H5N1), A(H5N6), A(H5N8)...

In Phu Yen, the disease situation in livestock is under control, no dangerous diseases have occurred, including avian influenza. The total poultry herd in the province is currently about 4.5 million. The whole province has 32 chicken farms, 27 duck, goose, quail farms and hundreds of small-scale households interspersed in residential areas.

* What do you think about the bird flu situation in the coming time?

- In the coming time, the risk of avian influenza spreading and occurring in local poultry flocks is very high. Currently, the extremely hot weather reduces resistance, so livestock are susceptible to disease. In addition, the situation of raising poultry on a household scale, small-scale interspersed in residential areas is still common; the situation of slaughtering poultry at live poultry markets or people slaughtering at home is still common. In addition, the winter-spring rice crop in the province is ready for harvest, when the ducks will enter the field season, creating more opportunities for avian influenza to penetrate and spread.

According to the provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, avian influenza occurs and spreads in chickens, ducks, geese, ostriches, birds... and mammals of all ages, especially the disease can spread to humans. When infected, poultry often have the following symptoms: trembling, shaking head or lying in groups, coughing, wheezing, swollen head, runny nose, pale comb, subcutaneous bleeding, loose white or greenish-white feces... In cases where the virus is highly virulent, it can cause mass deaths of poultry, in some cases 100% death.

* So what should be done to prevent bird flu from spreading in the province, sir?

- The Provincial People's Committee is very concerned and has directed provincial departments, branches, unions, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to strengthen the prevention and control of avian influenza and implement the first phase of the General Cleaning, Disinfection and Environmental Decontamination Month of 2024.

In March, the Veterinary Department coordinated with localities to clean and disinfect the livestock environment throughout the province. At the same time, the first phase of vaccination for livestock was implemented. Up to now, the whole province has vaccinated 97,700 doses of avian influenza vaccine; of which, two localities, Dong Hoa town and Phu Hoa district, are high-risk areas for avian influenza, so the State has supported free influenza vaccines and has vaccinated 70,500 doses. Other localities have encouraged livestock farmers to buy and vaccinate themselves, and have vaccinated 27,200 doses.

The Department also proactively monitors the circulation of avian influenza in the province, especially in 2023, 840 samples were collected at wholesale markets and 180 samples at livestock households in the province to detect strains of avian influenza virus circulating in the province. The results did not record strains of avian influenza virus in the province. It is expected that in 2024, the Department will collect 180 samples to continue monitoring the circulation of avian influenza virus.

In addition, the department has also directed the Hao Son Animal Quarantine Station (Dong Hoa Town) to strengthen quarantine of animals and animal products transported in and out 24/7, ensuring that no poultry or poultry products infected with disease or showing signs of infection, or lacking required documents, are imported into the province.

District, town and city livestock and veterinary stations continue to control slaughter, strictly handle cases of illegal slaughter, failure to ensure veterinary hygiene, food hygiene and safety, and coordinate with local authorities to guide poultry farmers to strictly apply biosafety measures in livestock farming, proactive disease prevention measures, and build disease-free livestock facilities and areas.

Authorities inspect the sale and slaughter of poultry at Tuy Hoa market. Photo: THUY TIEN

* What should livestock farmers do to improve disease prevention in the current situation, sir?

- Currently, the province's poultry flock is developing steadily, however, the risk of infection and outbreak of this disease in the coming time is very high, farmers must not be subjective and negligent. People need to proactively monitor and implement measures to prevent infectious diseases in their family's livestock and surrounding poultry flocks.

In particular, people need to vaccinate the entire flock against avian influenza, supplement vitamins and minerals to improve resistance, clean the livestock area daily, and spray disinfectant twice a week to kill pathogens in the air.

At a time when the avian influenza epidemic is quite complicated in some provinces and cities, poultry farmers need to be careful when increasing their flocks. In case poultry show signs of infection, farmers must quickly isolate them and immediately report to the nearest veterinary agency or local authorities for inspection and timely treatment instructions; absolutely do not hide the disease, sell sick poultry or throw dead poultry into the environment. Poultry farmers, traders, transporters and slaughterers must strictly comply with routine disease prevention measures.

* Thank you!

The Provincial People's Committee has just issued an official dispatch directing districts, towns, cities and related departments and branches to focus on directing drastic and synchronous solutions to prevent and control avian influenza. Accordingly, localities should organize well the vaccination of livestock and poultry in the first phase of 2024; ensure the vaccination rate of avian influenza reaches over 80% of the total herd; strengthen sanitation, disinfection and sterilization of the livestock environment. Districts, towns and cities should establish working groups to inspect and urge the prevention and control of avian influenza; strengthen inspection and supervision of the epidemic situation, especially avian influenza, to promptly detect and handle and immediately extinguish newly emerging outbreaks, not to let them linger, prolong and spread widely...

FIRST COMMITTEE ( implementation )

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