Districts in the mountainous areas of Nghe An province are making efforts to prevent the spread of African swine fever.
Currently, there is a risk of African swine fever outbreaks. In some mountainous districts of Nghe An province, the disease has already appeared. Therefore, authorities and residents are actively working to contain and eradicate the outbreak.
Contain the outbreak in villages and hamlets.
Xop Kho village in Nga My commune, Tuong Duong district, is about 70km from Thach Giam town. The main source of livelihood for the people of Xop Kho village is livestock farming and crop cultivation, with buffalo, cattle, and pig farming playing a dominant role. Although it is nearly 20km from the center of Nga My commune, Xop Kho is one of the two villages where African swine fever has occurred.
On October 9th, Mr. Kha Van Thu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nga My commune, stated that in early September 2024, an outbreak of African swine fever occurred in Canh and Xop Kho villages. The number of pigs that died from the disease in these two villages reached 125. The People's Committee of the commune has been actively directing the people to dispose of the diseased and dead pigs according to regulations and is disseminating information to the public on disease prevention and control measures to limit the spread of the disease.
The entire Nga My commune has a total pig population of over 1,000. To promptly prevent the spread of African swine fever, residents of the villages and hamlets in Nga My commune are following the recommendations and guidelines of the commune's People's Committee to isolate and contain the outbreak, and refrain from buying and selling pork products from other localities. At the same time, the village and hamlet management boards are also restricting the entry of street vendors into the villages and hamlets.
“On inter-commune and inter-village roads where African swine fever has been detected, we have set up checkpoints to prevent vehicles carrying goods, especially pork, from entering from other areas. At these checkpoints, lime and disinfectant chemicals have been spread to prevent and control the spread of African swine fever. In addition, the commune has also implemented livestock vaccination programs for the spring season. As of the end of September 2024, 1,250 out of 2,348 buffaloes and cows have been vaccinated; 300 dogs have been vaccinated, and 190 out of 1,000 pigs have been vaccinated,” said Mr. Kha Van Thu.
In Tuong Duong district, besides two villages in Nga My commune, scattered outbreaks of African swine fever have appeared in villages of Yen Tinh, Yen Na, and Luu Kien communes. Tuong Duong district has a total pig population of over 25,800, mainly raised in people's production areas, and is a major source of income for households. Therefore, Tuong Duong district is implementing containment and eradication measures to prevent further spread. In other districts such as Ky Son and Anh Son, African swine fever has also appeared in some localities.
In Ky Son district, a small number of cases occurred in Na Loi commune, and the local authorities have quarantined and contained the outbreak. In Anh Son district, as of October 10th, six communes have reported cases of African swine fever, with hundreds of pigs dying. For example, Cao Son commune has two outbreaks, resulting in the death of seven pigs. Other communes such as Vinh Son, Hoa Son, and Phuc Son have also reported outbreaks.
On the morning of October 11th, Mr. Le Van Tri, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Anh Son district, stated that the District People's Committee is sending working groups to communes to direct disease prevention and control efforts in livestock. Families whose pigs have died due to the disease are being instructed to dispose of them according to regulations. Communes are setting up checkpoints to prevent further spread.
Proactively and strictly adhere to disease prevention and control measures.
Que Phong is one of the localities where African swine fever has occurred on a large scale, affecting 11 communes. Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Que Phong District Agricultural Services Center, stated that from the beginning of 2024 to the present, African swine fever has occurred in 22 villages and hamlets, affecting over 100 pig farming households and resulting in the death and destruction of over 10 tons of pigs. “As of today (October 11th), Que Phong district still has 3 communes and towns with African swine fever outbreaks that have not yet passed the 21-day quarantine period: Chau Thon, Dong Van, and Tien Phong communes. Scattered outbreaks have occurred in some other communes, but in smaller numbers, with only one household affected, such as in Dong Van and Kim Son town.”
Officials from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Que Phong district also added that African swine fever is a difficult disease to control and spreads rapidly. It is difficult to completely eradicate the disease if people lack awareness and do not thoroughly comply with disease prevention and control measures. Specifically, when an outbreak occurs, it is necessary to isolate the farm and livestock, and restrict access to and from the area where infected pigs are present.
In addition, when livestock farmers enter areas with outbreaks, they must ensure that their personal belongings are disinfected; the barns are cleaned daily and after each feeding. For pigs that die from the disease, in addition to proper burial, the barn area and burial site must be continuously disinfected for at least 7 days, with lime and disinfectant solution applied in the correct dosage and within the prescribed area.
To minimize damage and prevent the spread of the disease, authorities at all levels in Que Phong district have coordinated with various forces to control the movement of people and vehicles in and out of areas affected by the disease and in high-risk inter-communal and inter-village areas. Several cases of street vendors violating disease prevention and control regulations have been penalized by local authorities. The Que Phong District Steering Committee for Livestock and Poultry Disease Prevention and Control has also had households sign commitments to strictly implement disease prevention and control measures and has penalized those who do not comply.
Following the general directives of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, and other levels and sectors in other localities, in addition to regular dissemination of information through loudspeakers and social groups, local authorities have established steering committees, set up quarantine checkpoints, and sent working groups to the grassroots level to assess the situation and provide timely support and guidance, limiting the spread of the disease. For example, in Yen Hoa commune (Tuong Duong district), despite the presence of African swine fever in neighboring areas, the livestock in the commune remained safe, partly due to timely preventive measures.
Mr. Lo Van Tham, head of Yen Tan village, Yen Hoa commune, said that upon receiving information about African swine fever outbreaks in neighboring communes, following the instructions of the commune's People's Committee, the village dispatched a task force to remind households to disinfect their livestock with lime and increase feed to enhance disease prevention. In addition, livestock farmers voluntarily limited access to their breeding areas and used protective gear and disinfectants when entering the barns. As a result, to date, Yen Tan village, with 149 households, most of which raise pigs, has not seen any cases of livestock infection.
According to officials from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tuong Duong district, in addition to regularly disseminating information and guiding local communes and villages on implementing regulations for preventing and controlling African swine fever, the district is accelerating the progress of spring vaccination for livestock and poultry. The district's total pig population is over 25,800, and to date, the district has implemented the 2024 spring vaccination program for livestock and poultry with a total of 46,251 doses of various vaccines. Of these, 2,650 doses of African swine fever vaccine have been administered.
