African swine fever outbreak in Thanh Chuong
African swine fever is developing complicatedly in Thanh Chuong district. Currently, 94 households in 37 villages and hamlets of 13 communes have had 692 pigs killed and destroyed, with a total weight of more than 33 tons.
Thanh Phong - "hot spot" of the epidemic
In Thanh Phong commune - one of the current "hot spots" of African swine fever, in less than a month, dozens of pigs have been destroyed, concentrated in hamlets 5, 6, and 7.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Phu's family (Hamlet 5) lost their entire herd of pigs after the outbreak in early May. Taking us to the pig farm, we saw that the entire system of 4 pens was empty and had been sprinkled with white lime powder.
Mr. Phu said that on May 4, 2 pigs died, and the veterinary staff took samples and tested positive for African swine fever. A few days later, all 2 sows, each weighing around 200kg, and the piglets were also infected and had to be destroyed. After destroying the pigs, the family sprayed chemicals and sprinkled lime powder to disinfect inside and outside the barn area, and also sprinkled lime powder in front of the house gate. However, according to records, the post-destruction disinfection work here was still sketchy and did not comply with the recommendations of the professional sector.
Not only Mr. Phu's family, many other households in hamlet 5 such as: Nguyen Van Thong, Nguyen Canh Ngu... and many households in hamlets 6, 7: Trinh Xuan Nhu, Vo Thi Lan... are also in the same situation.
According to the recommendations of the professional agency, after destroying pigs infected with African swine fever, people need to clean the barns neatly and cleanly, then use lime water to sweep the embankment, and sprinkle lime powder inside and outside the barn area, combined with regular spraying of disinfectant chemicals, to destroy pathogens as quickly and effectively as possible.
Mr. Trinh Xuan Thi - Chairman of Thanh Phong Commune People's Committee said: In 2025, African swine fever has occurred in the commune since the beginning of May. Worryingly, the epidemic is appearing more and more, in less than 1 month, the number of infected pigs that had to be destroyed was up to 88, with a total weight of more than 3 tons. The epidemic mainly occurred in 3 hamlets: 5, 6 and 7.
“The cause of the outbreak is the difficulty in controlling the transportation and trading of pigs in and out of the area; erratic weather and people not strictly following regulations on disease prevention and control,” said Mr. Trinh Xuan Thi - Chairman of Thanh Phong Commune People's Committee.
According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Que, a veterinary officer of Thanh Phong commune, the total herd of pigs in Thanh Phong commune is currently 2,824, of which 452 are in epidemic areas and 1,045 are in areas threatened by the epidemic.
"The weather is changing complicatedly, disinfection work is not done regularly, small-scale livestock farming does not apply biosafety measures... pathogens have existed in the livestock and animal environment. Therefore, the possibility of the disease spreading and breaking out on a large scale in the near future is very high," said Mr. Nguyen Duy Que.
Lack of determination in epidemic prevention and control
In Thanh Chuong district, many localities still hide the epidemic and have not resolutely handled the outbreak. According to the report of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Chuong district, from the beginning of the year to May 21, 2025, African swine fever has occurred in 94 households in 37 villages and hamlets of 13 communes in the district, including: Ngoc Son, Kim Bang, Thanh Lien, Dung town, Thanh An, Dai Dong, Thanh Ha, Thanh Phong, Thanh Tien, Thanh Tung, Thanh Qua, Thanh Thuy, Phong Thinh.
The number of dead pigs destroyed was 692, including 93 sows, 1 boar, 397 pigs for meat, 201 piglets, the total weight of dead pigs that had to be destroyed was 33 tons, some localities with many epidemics are Dung town, Thanh Phong, Thanh Tung, Thanh Lien...
According to Mr. Tran Phi Hung - Head of the District's Department of Agriculture and Environment, the underlying cause is that small-scale livestock farming accounts for a large proportion and does not ensure biosafety. Some communes are still subjective and lack determination in propaganda and disease prevention and control.
Thanh Chuong district is requiring communes to closely monitor the epidemic situation, thoroughly handle old outbreaks, and increase propaganda about the dangers of African swine fever and effective prevention and control measures.
In early May, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De chaired a meeting to deploy solutions to prevent and control livestock and poultry diseases in the province. In particular, he emphasized the complicated developments of African swine fever prevention and control in many localities. Accordingly, localities must properly implement disease prevention and control solutions according to regulations and must not be negligent or subjective.
