Foot-and-mouth disease continues to appear in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - After many localities had foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in cattle, the most recent outbreak occurred in Dien Thai commune, Dien Chau district with 22 sick cattle.

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Vaccination against FMD for livestock in the epidemic area in Dien Thai commune, Dien Chau district. Photo: Phu Huong

On October 2, the first buffalo in Dien Chau district was found to have symptoms of FMD in hamlet 10, Dien Thai commune. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, a commune veterinary officer, said: By October 12, the whole commune had 21 buffaloes and 1 sow infected with FMD.

After detecting the epidemic, the district veterinary station staff coordinated to vaccinate the entire livestock herd in the commune on October 6 and 7. "The epidemic in Dien Thai is located about 500 meters from National Highway 538 and has a drainage ditch that flows into the So River, which originates from Yen Thanh and flows to Dien Thai and then flows to communes in the district such as Dien Dong, Dien Quang, and Dien Hanh, posing a risk of widespread spread," Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien worried.

Spraying disinfectant chemicals in the epidemic area. Photo: Phu Huong

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Bon - Head of Dien Chau District Veterinary Station, the current difficulty in preventing FMD is that Dien Chau has a large livestock herd, most of which are small-scale and free-range. Almost all livestock have not been vaccinated against FMD, while there have been many old outbreaks in the area, with pathogens existing in livestock and the environment.

Up to now, in addition to propaganda on the radio system about disease prevention and control, implementing "5 no's" (no hiding the epidemic, no buying sick livestock, no selling sick livestock, no transporting sick livestock out of the epidemic area, no dumping of sick livestock carcasses into the environment), Dien Chau district has strengthened the direction of the People's Committee of Dien Thai commune to strengthen disease surveillance from hamlets to livestock households; early detection of sick livestock and timely treatment.

Spraying disinfectant in the livestock barn area in the FMD epidemic area. Photo: Phu Huong

The provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine has provided Dien Chau with 72 liters of chemicals and 800 doses of FMD vaccine; Thai Hoa with 60 liters of chemicals and 5,100 doses of FMD vaccine to control the epidemic. The epidemic is basically being controlled at the household scale.

However, according to Mr. Dang Van Minh - Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, the current rainy and humid weather and seasonal change is the time of year when livestock are most susceptible to disease, while the vaccination rate is too low, pathogens already exist, and small-scale transportation is difficult to control... are factors that can easily lead to a strong outbreak of disease.

Xa Dien Thai mobilized people to buy lime powder and sprinkle it around the entrances and exits of livestock barns. Photo: Phu Huong

Phu Huong