Con Cuong: Dozens of buffaloes and cows have foot-and-mouth disease

At Cam village, Cam Lam commune on the afternoon of November 22, we witnessed the family of Can Van Tuc, 32 years old, eating meat from a sickly cow. The owner said that the cow, over 2 years old, had died the day before due to foot and mouth disease. Next to the house, there was a cow and a calf that were also sick. There were wounds on their ankles and toenails.

A cow with foot and mouth disease is being treated with traditional medicine in Cam village, Cam Lam commune. Photo: Huu Vi

Mr. Tuc said: "Currently, 6 out of more than 30 cattle in his herd are suffering from foot and mouth disease, of which 2 have died within the past week, the other has not been found. The sick cattle all have signs of foot and mouth disease, and have foot and mouth disease."

Mr. La Van Dan - Head of Cam village said: "For nearly half a month now, many cows in the village have shown signs of foot and mouth disease. Some buffaloes and cows have died; however, apart from the case of Mr. Tuc's cow dying from this disease, the cause of the remaining cases is still unclear."

According to a preliminary count by Mr. Dan and the villagers, there are currently about 10 cows with loose hooves and are being treated by the locals with traditional medicine at home.

Mr. Can Van Tuc was worried when 6 of his family's cows got sick. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Cam village has 136 Thai households with a total of 440 buffaloes and cows. Every household in the village raises cows, some households have at least 1 to 2 cows, the most has more than 30 cows.

Villagers said they did not pay much attention to the cows because they were kept deep in the forest. Recently, when the weather changed, the cows were found to be walking slowly, not eating, and limping, many of them unable to stand up. After checking, they found sores on their legs and snouts, so the villagers took the cows home to care for them.

Most of the cows in Cam village have injuries on their hooves and ankles. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Mr. Vi Van Phong - Veterinary officer of Cam village said that this year, the Veterinary Department of Con Cuong district has organized vaccinations. The animals with foot-and-mouth disease now are because people did not bring them for vaccination. According to Mr. Phong, currently the cattle only have foot-and-mouth disease but not foot-and-mouth disease, so they can still eat grass and can be cured.

Not only in Cam village, Mr. Lo Van Phong - Head of Bach Son village said that currently there are about 30 buffaloes and cows in the village that are also infected with foot and mouth disease. However, in the village, there are currently no cattle that have died from this disease. Mr. Phong also added that the disease appeared since October 2018 and the tax authorities have organized to handle it, but recently, many buffaloes and cows have been infected again.

Cam Lam people still have the habit of grazing livestock, which is the reason why disease control is difficult. Photo: Huu Vi

Mr. Kha Van Son - Vice Chairman of Cam Lam Commune People's Committee said: The phenomenon of buffalo and cows having foot-and-mouth disease occurred in Cam Lam commune more than 1 month ago. After that, the Veterinary Department of Con Cuong district organized vaccination. However, there are still other animals with foot-and-mouth disease, so the epidemic has not been completely resolved.

The cause is believed to be that people do not vaccinate their livestock properly. Meanwhile, people in Cam village as well as many neighboring villages still have the habit of letting buffalo and cows roam in the forest, making it very difficult to control the disease.