Prohibition of transporting and trading poultry across borders
On April 2, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Head of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control Cao Duc Phat signed an urgent dispatch requesting the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities; ministries and branches, members of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control to strengthen control of the transportation of poultry and poultry products through the northern border provinces.
(Illustration photo by Dinh Hue/VNA)
According to the telegram, on March 31, 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China confirmed that three people infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus had been detected in Shanghai and Anhui province of China. These were the first cases in the world infected with this new strain of flu virus and there were two deaths.
Therefore, to proactively prevent the infiltration of the H7N9 avian influenza virus strain from abroad into Vietnam effectively, and not to spread the disease to humans and poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, especially the northern border provinces, and the ministries and branches that are members of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control to urgently direct the strict prohibition of all forms of transportation, trade, and consumption of poultry and poultry products across the borders of the northern provinces, including the giving and donating of poultry and poultry products across the border by organizations, individuals, and residents of border areas.
Also according to the telegram, People's Committees at all levels, local departments and branches and relevant forces, especially the Border Guard, Customs, Police, and Market Management, closely coordinate with veterinary forces to closely monitor villages, hamlets, and areas where poultry and poultry products are gathered and traded, in order to promptly detect and strictly and thoroughly handle cases of transporting and trading poultry and poultry products smuggled across the border and of unknown origin.
In addition, the authorities need to strengthen the organization of extensive propaganda on the media about the risk of infection with the new H7N9 avian influenza virus strain that causes death in humans and spreads the disease to domestic poultry; mobilize poultry farmers to buy poultry breeds from reputable domestic establishments with clear origins that have passed veterinary quarantine; propagate to people to only buy poultry and poultry products with clear origins that have been inspected by veterinary staff for use as food.
Also according to the content of the telegram, the ministries and branches that are members of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control, based on their assigned functions and tasks, shall direct functional forces to strengthen the implementation of measures to prevent and control avian influenza according to regulations; continue to apply other proactive measures to prevent and control epidemics in accordance with the spirit of Telegrams No. 04 and 07 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on strengthening avian influenza prevention and control.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, ministries and branches in the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control to strictly direct the implementation of the above contents. During the direction process, if there are any problems, please notify the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for timely coordination and handling./.
According to VNA-M
