African swine fever appears, Ha Tinh proactively prevents

After detecting an outbreak of African swine fever in Cam Xuyen district, the professional sector and local authorities of Ha Tinh are urgently implementing epidemic control measures to ensure good livestock farming activities.

Professional staff take samples for testing at households with dead pigs.

Prevent the spread of the epidemic in Cam Xuyen

After many days of not eating, 19 out of 38 pigs owned by Mrs. Tran Thi Binh (Na Trung village, Cam Thach commune, Cam Xuyen) died of illness on August 6. Immediately after that, the authorities and local authorities took samples for testing and determined that the animals were infected with African swine fever (ASF). The locality destroyed the animals and carried out disinfection measures using lime powder and chemicals.

As of the morning of August 15, Cam Thach commune had 6 households in 4 villages (including Xuan Lau, Na Trung, My Thanh, Cam Dong) with ASF with 44 infected pigs. Cam Thach commune People's Committee used 1,000 kg of lime powder and 60 liters of disinfectant chemicals to disinfect households with recorded outbreaks. Control of buying, selling, and transporting pigs in epidemic areas has also been strengthened.

African swine fever appears, Ha Tinh proactively prevents

Mrs. Tran Thi Binh's pigs (Na Trung village, Cam Thach commune, Cam Xuyen) were infected with ASF.

Mr. Tran Van Son - Vice Chairman of Cam Thach Commune People's Committee said: "Through the survey, households with previous outbreaks had people buying piglets coming in and out asking questions and bargaining. This could be the cause of the spread of the disease, bringing the source of the disease from sick pigs to healthy pigs. In addition, due to the change in weather from prolonged hot weather to autumn, there are sudden showers, causing the resistance of livestock to decrease, making it easy to spread the disease."

In addition to the outbreak in Cam Thach commune, on August 10, Cam Duong commune also reported ASF at Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan’s household in Trung Dong village with 1 infected sow. Thus, by the morning of August 15, Cam Xuyen district had 45 infected pigs.

Mr. Le Ngoc Ha - Vice Chairman of Cam Xuyen District People's Committee said: "The district has issued a document on focusing on implementing measures to prevent and control ASF in the area. At this time, the price of pork in the market is high, people can sell sick pigs, leading to the risk of spreading the disease and losing food hygiene and safety if not strictly controlled. On the other hand, people are re-herding large herds, which can bring pathogens from other places to the area, so disease prevention and control work must be focused on. The district is strengthening inspection of transportation, slaughtering, trading... to strictly handle violations."

Strengthening epidemic prevention throughout the area

Currently, ASF is occurring in small-scale livestock farms, but in changing weather conditions, pathogens can develop rapidly; the ASF virus survives for a long time in the environment, in pork products, in livestock equipment, and means of transport; the transportation, trading, and slaughtering processes in the province are difficult to control...

Along with that, the total pig herd in Ha Tinh is currently quite large (400,000 pigs), with high farming density. The risk of disease outbreaks at household scale is very high because people have not properly implemented biosafety farming measures.

African swine fever appears, Ha Tinh proactively prevents

Cam Duong commune spread lime powder and placed signs to notify areas with DTLCP.

Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam - Deputy Head of the Veterinary Management Department (Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of the province) said: "Since the beginning of the year, the whole province has not had a large outbreak of ASF, so people are subjective. In some localities, animal husbandry and veterinary work has not been given due attention due to a lack of specialized staff, so when an epidemic occurs, it is difficult to arrange a suitable prevention plan."

To control the epidemic, localities need to strengthen information and propaganda measures on the situation and developments of the epidemic; raise awareness and responsibility of each household, livestock facility, trader and slaughterer to proactively implement disease prevention and control solutions. At the same time, guide livestock farmers to apply biosecurity measures, not to increase or restore herds without ensuring safety conditions, promptly report when detecting sick pigs, pigs that die of unknown causes, do not self-treat and sell sick pigs.

African swine fever appears, Ha Tinh proactively prevents

Localities need to prepare well for the second round of livestock and poultry vaccination in 2023.

Assign specialized staff to stay close to the base to guide, direct, and closely monitor the livestock situation in the area; take samples for diagnosis, testing, and timely treatment of sick pigs according to regulations.

In particular, localities also need to ensure the progress and quality of the second vaccination phase of 2023 for livestock and poultry in September; review the list of farms and households in need to effectively carry out the experimental vaccination of ASF vaccine in Ha Tinh when there are instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and direction from the Provincial People's Committee.

Phan Tram - Thai Oanh

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