Preventing outbreaks of African swine fever.

Authorities in Dien Bien district are carrying out disinfection spraying to prevent the spread of disease.

The disease situation is developing in a complex and escalating manner, with a very high risk of widespread transmission. To prevent outbreaks, Dien Bien province has been implementing numerous solutions to prevent and control the spread and outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) throughout the province.

From April 20th to August 1st, African Swine Fever (ASF) occurred in 122 households across 45 villages and hamlets in 10 communes of Dien Bien district. The communes of Thanh Luong, Thanh Chan, Thanh Hung, Thanh Xuong, Thanh Yen, Thanh Nua, Noong Luong, Thanh An, Noong Het, and Hua Thanh all experienced outbreaks. As of August 1st, statistics showed that 485 pigs had died from ASF, weighing 25,521 kg. The widespread outbreak significantly impacted livestock development. In response, Dien Bien district established a rapid response team to prevent and control ASF. Members of the rapid response team were assigned specific tasks and coordinated with the People's Committees of the communes to directly inspect, guide, and disseminate information on sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization of the environment, livestock pens, and households in 85 out of 122 outbreak areas; they also continued to inspect and monitor the number of pigs in the remaining 37 outbreak areas.

Mr. Chu Van Bach, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dien Bien District, said: In June 2024, Dien Bien District issued Decision 1415/QD-UBND establishing a Rapid Response Team for the prevention and control of African Swine Fever (ASF), consisting of veterinary specialists from the District Agricultural Services Center. Each officer is assigned to be responsible for at least one commune. When an outbreak is detected, members of the Rapid Response Team, together with the affected livestock farmers, are responsible for isolating, monitoring, treating, and disinfecting the barns and areas where infected animals are disposed of. After the Rapid Response Team became operational, the results were very clear; many outbreaks were completely contained, preventing widespread transmission. As a result, the number of villages and households with new outbreaks in the district has decreased significantly.

The villagers weigh the dead pigs before disposing of them and report the weight to the relevant authorities.

To date, several communes in Dien Bien district, such as Thanh Xuong, Noong Luong, and Noong Het, have gone 21 days without any new cases of infected pigs requiring culling. However, the large number of pigs in the district (approximately 53,000) means that disease prevention efforts cannot be taken lightly. Meanwhile, the farming methods of the people are still small-scale, and there is a complacent and negligent attitude, with insufficient attention paid to disease prevention for livestock. Vaccination against diseases is not being implemented uniformly by all households; the buying and selling of breeding stock and supplies is unregulated and not strictly controlled; and pathogens from previous outbreaks still persist in the barns… These are factors that pose a high risk of re-emergence of the disease in these communes.

Mr. Pham Van Kien, Director of the Dien Bien District Agricultural Services Center, said: Given the complex weather conditions leading to a high risk of outbreaks and widespread disease transmission in the area, the District Agricultural Services Center has coordinated with the People's Committees of all communes to strengthen the Steering Committees for disease prevention and control in all 21 communes. Members of the rapid response team for African Swine Fever (ASF) prevention and control regularly inspect, guide, and disseminate information on environmental sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization of livestock pens at households in the area. They focus on guiding families on caring for and raising the remaining pigs in the pens, preventing the sale, slaughter, or disposal of dead pigs into the environment. When pigs show signs of illness or death, they must immediately report to the commune People's Committee and relevant agencies for coordinated handling according to regulations.

Since the beginning of the year, the African Swine Fever (ASF) situation nationwide in general and in Dien Bien province in particular has been quite complex. In the province, as of July 22nd, ASF had occurred in 164 households, 63 villages and hamlets in 23 communes and wards across 8 districts, towns, and cities (excluding Muong Ang and Dien Bien Dong districts); with 561 pigs culled, totaling 29,651 kg. Proactively implementing ASF prevention and control measures, the authorities of districts, towns, and cities have coordinated with specialized agencies to strengthen information and widespread communication through various forms about the dangerous nature of ASF to the people. At the same time, they have guided livestock farmers on disease prevention measures and the effectiveness of ASF vaccination so that people can proactively vaccinate their pig herds through a socialized approach. Sanitation and disinfection measures in and around pig pens, promotion of biosecurity in livestock farming, and the strict prohibition of selling sick pigs or discarding dead pig carcasses into the environment are being disseminated and guided for people to apply.

Livestock farmers in Dien Bien district are digging pits to dispose of pigs that have died from disease.

Ms. Chu Thi Thanh Xuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated: To prevent the outbreak and spread of the disease in the area, districts currently experiencing outbreaks, especially those with multiple outbreaks such as Dien Bien district, should urgently consider declaring an epidemic according to Article 26 of the Veterinary Law; direct and mobilize local resources to decisively handle outbreaks according to regulations, preventing the emergence of new outbreaks; promptly detect, prevent, and resolutely handle cases of buying, selling, and transporting sick pigs, and discarding dead pigs that spread the disease and pollute the environment. Instruct specialized units and commune-level People's Committees to review and compile statistics on the existing pig herds in the area and the number of pigs vaccinated against African Swine Fever (ASF) and send them to the Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine, and Fisheries. Instruct the strict implementation of pig slaughter control in the area according to regulations, and strengthen control over the transportation of pigs and pig products into the area to detect and handle violations according to regulations…

Inspection and control of the transportation and trade of animals and animal products, especially pigs and pork products, have been strictly implemented by specialized agencies and local authorities. Given the high risk of disease outbreaks in the province, in addition to the decisive actions of the authorities, livestock farmers and the public need to proactively apply hygiene measures in their barns, report the condition of their livestock, refrain from selling sick pigs, avoid disposing of dead pigs into the environment, and carefully consider restocking after an outbreak...

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/kinh-te/217264/ngan-chan-dich-ta-lon-chau-phi-bung-phat--