6 communes of Dien Chau district have pigs suddenly dying from illness.

On March 25, at Mr. Vo Giao's family in Hamlet 7, Dien Thinh Commune (Dien Chau), 9 pigs were sick, of which 5 were sick and 4 died. Clinical examination showed that the pigs had stopped eating, had swollen eyes, diarrhea, arthritis, and thin skin with hemorrhagic patches. After taking samples for testing, the veterinarian proceeded to destroy the pigs.

The sick and dead pigs at Mr. Vo Giao's house in hamlet 7, Dien Thinh commune (Dien Chau) had swollen eyes and bleeding on the skin... Photo: Quang An

According to the homeowner, the pigs were still eating normally on the evening of March 24, but the next day they suddenly died, and the family immediately reported it to the local authorities and veterinary agency. It is known that the homeowner had previously taken leftover food from the restaurant to feed the pigs.

Thus, up to now, although there have been no positive cases of African swine fever, Dien Chau district has had sick and dead pigs in 6 communes including: Dien Truong, Dien An, Dien Thanh, Dien Phuc, Dien Loc, Dien Thinh.

Veterinary staff take samples of sick pigs for testing. Photo: Quang An

Since March 10, the Thanh Chuong district has also seen cases of sick pigs in many localities. As of March 27, the district veterinary department has taken 8 samples from 7 localities with sick pigs for testing, including the communes of Thanh Ngoc, Thanh Dong, Thanh Thuy, Dong Van, Thanh Van, Thanh Chi, and Vo Liet.

Most of these sick pigs had symptoms of high fever above 41 degrees, difficulty breathing, red eyes, nasal discharge, bleeding on the skin... Test results were all negative for African swine fever.

Mr. Dao Quang Bien - Head of the Thanh Chuong District Veterinary Station said: "After receiving news of sick pigs, we immediately went to check and take samples for testing. Although negative for African swine fever, these sick pigs will continue to be closely monitored and handled immediately if there are any unusual signs in the future."

Farmers increase the sprinkling of lime powder around barn areas to prevent African swine fever. Photo: Quang An

Thanh Chuong district has the highest pig herd in the province with about 120,000 pigs raised on farms; therefore, the prevention of African swine fever is a top priority for the government and the people. Currently, the district has provided 650 liters of disinfectants and lime powder to help communes proactively prevent the epidemic.

Previously, from March 22 to 24, in Quynh Luu district, there were also cases of sick pigs in 3 communes of Quynh Tam, Quynh Nghia, and Quynh Van. The test results of these pig samples were all negative for African swine fever.