Villagers slaughtered and ate dead pigs because they did not know about African swine fever.
(Baonghean.vn) - The pig died more than a week ago, but because they did not know what disease it had, the people of Huoi Tho village, Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son district still slaughtered it to eat.
The Regional Veterinary Agency III has tested positive for African swine fever on samples of sick pigs in Huoi Tho village, Huu Kiem commune (Ky Son). Up to now, Ky Son border district has 2 communes recording this dangerous epidemic, hundreds of pigs have died and been destroyed.
Records at Huoi Tho village (Huu Kiem commune - Ky Son) at noon on May 23 showed that the village had set up a checkpoint on the only road in and out of the village, with a blocking force.
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| African swine fever checkpoint on the only road to Huoi Tho village. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
Village chief Vi Van Thuy said: During the days from May 15 to 21, many pigs belonging to households: Moong Van Phuc, Moong Van Phong, Xeo Van Minh, Moong Van Thuyen and Xeo Van Thuong died of illness. However, because people did not know what disease they had, they slaughtered them to eat.
On May 22, Mr. Luong Van Binh's pigs got sick, showed strange symptoms, and saw African swine fever on TV, so Mr. Binh reported it to the hamlet and commune. After that, the district veterinary officer came to take samples for testing. By the afternoon of May 22, the village received the results of the test samples, which were positive for African swine fever.
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| Spraying disinfectant chemicals on the roads of Huoi Tho village. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
This morning, the commune provided 4 liters of chemicals, 150 kg of lime powder, 1 sprayer, and some gloves and masks to help prevent the epidemic. The village also assigned 17 people to take turns at the checkpoint. Since May 22, the village has organized chemical spraying on the roads and livestock farms in the village.
There are currently 220 pigs left in the village. With many pigs dying from illness, the slaughtering of pigs by the villagers will lead to the risk of the entire herd of pigs in the village dying due to African swine fever. Because the villagers' habit of raising pigs is to let them roam free.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Luong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Huu Kiem commune said: Although the District People's Committee has not announced the African swine fever epidemic in the commune, the local government has proactively implemented solutions to prevent and control the epidemic according to the directives of the superiors.
Accordingly, this morning, the commune established epidemic prevention teams, assigned specific tasks to each commune official to go to the grassroots to grasp the epidemic situation. The commune bought 250 kg of lime powder, received 22 liters of chemicals from the district and proactively bought sprayers for the chemical spraying villages.
In addition to Huoi Tho village where the epidemic has been confirmed, Dinh Son village also has sick and dead pigs. The commune has reported to the Veterinary Department for early handling to limit damage to the people.
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| The local people's livestock farming practice is mostly free-range, so it is easy for diseases to spread. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
According to the report of the People's Committee of Ky Son district, by the morning of May 23, African swine fever had been recorded in two communes, Muong Tip and Huu Kiem. Of which, Muong Tip commune had 6 villages and Huu Kiem commune had 1 village recorded with this dangerous epidemic. Localities had destroyed 23 pigs, not to mention 117 pigs that had died before.
In addition, other localities such as Muong Ai, Bac Ly, Ta Ca, Bao Thang have 284 sick and dead pigs, the Veterinary Department has taken samples for testing.
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| Huoi Tho village, Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son border district, where black pigs and local pigs are being attacked by African swine fever. Photo: Google maps |
Ky Son currently has 26,612 pigs, most of which are local black pigs. Ethnic people are worried that the African swine fever will spread widely, affecting the people's economy and losing the precious specialty of this highland region. Therefore, people hope that specialized agencies will soon control the epidemic.
