Urgent vaccination against foot and mouth disease for buffalo and cows

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a dangerous infectious disease that can spread very quickly. Vaccination is the best measure to stop the spread of the disease in the short term and prevent it in the long term. Currently, in the face of the complicated epidemic situation, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine has directed livestock and veterinary stations in localities to deploy emergency vaccination against FMD, ensuring proper techniques, on time, and with enough injections to completely suppress the epidemic.

Veterinary staff disinfect a livestock farm in Lao Bao town, Huong Hoa district - Photo: TCL

As of September 3, 2024, in Quang Tri province, there were 23 villages in 8 communes and towns of 3 districts: Huong Hoa, Dakrong and Vinh Linh with FMD, with a total of 519 buffaloes and cows infected; of which, 21 buffaloes and cows were destroyed.

With the rapid spread of the disease, while the cattle and buffalo herds in the province have run out of immunity to FMD due to the time interval between two injections of this vaccine being 8 months; the pathogen exists in the environment along with the current unfavorable weather conditions, creating conditions for increased spread of the pathogen, the risk of the disease continuing to arise and spread widely is very high.

Implementing the directives of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued directives such as: Official Dispatch No. 2852/SNN on focusing on drastic and synchronous implementation of solutions to control, prevent and contain FMD; Plan No. 2888/KH-SNN-CNTY on implementing the second phase of general cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of the environment in 2024 in Quang Tri province; Plan No. 2898/KH-SNN-CNTY on emergency vaccination with FMD vaccine to prevent and control the epidemic.

Implementing the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine urgently deployed vaccination work at the grassroots level throughout the province. With the allocation of 27,000 doses of FMD vaccine from the central government and with the drastic implementation of specialized agencies, mobilizing the maximum force for grassroots veterinary work such as: veterinary staff, veterinary practitioners, technical staff of livestock and veterinary stations... along with the support of officials of associations and organizations at the grassroots level, by September 3, 2024, the whole province had vaccinated 8,655 doses of vaccine for buffaloes and cows in 9 districts, towns and cities, of which, the highest vaccination results were in Huong Hoa district with 5,435 doses, Dakrong 1,911 doses, Vinh Linh 679 doses... The type of vaccine vaccinated in this phase is to prevent and control FMD Type O and A.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Phu Quoc said that the department's specialized unit has focused on directing the organization of vaccination to surround the epidemic area, synchronous vaccination and vaccination at the same time for the entire herd of buffalo and cows currently vaccinated in the localities. In the coming days, continue to direct livestock and veterinary stations to vaccinate at a rate of over 80% of the total herd, 100% of the vaccination area in the mandatory vaccination areas.

During the vaccination process, it is necessary to strictly follow the technical procedures and steps according to the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Animal Health. The principle of LMLM vaccination for buffalo and cow herds is to vaccinate buffalo and cows of households in villages and hamlets that have not had the epidemic first; then vaccinate healthy buffalo and cow herds in villages and hamlets that have had sick livestock; vaccinate from the outside in, close to households with the epidemic.

For buffaloes and cows that have symptoms of FMD or have other diseases, they must absolutely not be vaccinated. Injection techniques must ensure high safety, avoiding cross-contamination between households and areas. Store, use and vaccinate vaccines according to the instructions of the manufacturer and the specialized agency.

Veterinary staff at the grassroots level and local authorities need to do a good job of monitoring and following up livestock after vaccination to promptly handle any cases of disease after vaccination. At the same time, make a list and record the number of vaccinated livestock completely and accurately, with confirmation from the household owner and local authorities.

With the urgent and undistributed vaccination campaign and the participation of the entire political system at the grassroots level, the FMD vaccination work for buffaloes and cows was accelerated and ensured to be done properly.

Along with vaccination work, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine also focuses on directing the work of cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing barns... at buffalo and cow farms, concentrated livestock grazing areas; performing mechanical cleaning, spraying disinfectants at concentrated vaccination points; spraying disinfectants after each vaccination session to stop the spread of epidemics. Localities report the progress of vaccination and disease prevention and control at the grassroots to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine daily to promptly resolve problems during the implementation process.

Tran Cat Linh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/khan-cap-tiem-phong-vac-xin-lo-mom-long-mong-cho-trau-bo-188086.htm