African swine fever is spreading rapidly in Hung Nguyen and Tan Ky districts.

African swine fever first appeared in Hamlet 1, Hung Trung Commune on May 16, 2019. After the outbreak, the local authorities implemented disease control measures. However, African swine fever has now re-emerged.

Pigs infected with the disease are being culled in Hung Trung commune, Hung Nguyen district. Photo: Quang An

To date, African swine fever has spread to 131 households in 38 hamlets across 8 communes and towns in Hung Nguyen district, including Hung Trung, Hung Yen Bac, Hung Tien, Hung Chau, Hung Dao, the town of Hung Yen, Hung Yen Nam, and Hung Tay.

The district has culled 1,351 animals weighing 80 tons 641 kg. The risk of disease spread remains very high in many localities, for example, in Hung Tay district, 12 out of 26 hamlets are affected, and in Hung Nguyen town, 7 blocks have experienced outbreaks.

Mr. Hoang Duc An, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Hung Nguyen district, said: "Given the complex developments of the disease, Hung Nguyen district has just held an emergency meeting to find solutions to limit the spread of the disease."

Hung Nguyen district has culled 1,351 pigs infected with the disease. Photo: Quang An

In Tan Ky district, African swine fever has re-emerged in four communes: Nghia Dung, Nghia Phuc, Tan Xuan, and Tan Huong.

Mr. Le Duc Tinh, Head of the Livestock and Veterinary Station of Tan Ky District, said: Immediately after the outbreak re-emerged, the District People's Committee directed relevant departments, agencies, and localities with outbreaks and communes in high-risk areas to strictly implement the district's African swine fever prevention and control plan. Therefore, the outbreaks were basically contained within a small area. As of September 10th, there were still 7 outbreaks in 4 communes, with a total of 221 pigs culled.

Hung Nguyen and Tan Ky districts have requested local authorities to implement containment measures around the outbreak; prohibiting the transportation, trading, and slaughter of pigs within their areas during the outbreak. For localities not yet affected by the outbreak, they need to coordinate with relevant agencies to inspect, monitor, and disinfect to prevent infection from spreading; and proactively develop plans to promptly handle any outbreaks should they occur.