Foot-and-mouth disease and anthrax outbreaks appear in Xiangyang
(Baonghean.vn) - The outbreak began to appear in Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong), making people extremely worried.
People in Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune said that foot and mouth disease has appeared since November 2017 until now. Cows are the main livestock affected by the disease. "Cows have peeling hooves, foam in their mouths, and stop eating" - Ms. Lo Thi Thu, a livestock farmer in the area, said about the symptoms of the disease.
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| Veterinary and agricultural officials in Tuong Duong check the foot-and-mouth disease situation in Cay Me village. Photo: Ho Phuong |
Mr. Lo Van Thanh, a resident of Cay Me village, raises 12 cows, big and small. At this point, the entire herd has been infected with foot and mouth disease. Currently, the family is treating the disease according to traditional experience in the community. According to the village management board's estimate, there are currently over 30 cows, mainly cows that are still infected.
“It has been a long time since the disease appeared in the village, so people are very worried. People have tried to treat the disease with folk methods, but because buffalo and cows are mainly raised in the forest, it is difficult to accurately count the number of infected animals. Many households raise them in herds, so they cannot bring them home because there is little grass in the winter,” said Mr. Lo Van Hoang, head of Cay Me village, explaining why people still raise livestock in the form of grazing. According to Mr. Hoang, many individuals are currently recovering and have started eating grass again. And fortunately, no animals have died from foot-and-mouth disease.
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| Some buffaloes in Cay Me village are also infected with foot-and-mouth disease. Photo: Huu Vi |
In addition to foot-and-mouth disease, anthrax has also appeared in cattle in Thach Giam commune. Mr. Lo Van Vui, an officer of the Agriculture and Forestry Department of Thach Giam commune, said that in the first days of 2018, 13 cows died of anthrax, with 7 cows dying in Cay Me village alone. "Anthrax is almost incurable once it has developed. Livestock usually die after a few hours," - Mr. Vui added.
According to information from the agriculture and veterinary sector of Tuong Duong district, in the face of the foot-and-mouth disease and anthrax epidemic, all levels of the sector have taken drastic measures. "Along with the announcement of the epidemic, we are isolating, controlling the disease, and preventing it from spreading widely. In particular, we do not allow people to use the meat of dead livestock as food but must destroy it immediately" - a veterinary officer said.Discussing the epidemic situation in the area, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Tuong district said: Since the information about the outbreak in Cay Me village, the district government has directed drastic measures to suppress the epidemic. This is the period near Tet, the time when people prepare Tet goods, including buffalo and beef products, so strict control of slaughter is a top priority, to ensure a safe food supply to the market.
