African swine fever re-emerges after floods

The epidemic broke out strongly

Vinh Son Commune is a strong locality in pig farming in Anh Son District. However, African swine fever has now appeared in all hamlets in the area, forcing the local authorities to destroy dozens of tons of pigs.

Mr. Nguyen Huu The's family, residing in Vinh Tho hamlet, Vinh Son commune (Anh Son), specializes in raising sows. In early October, African swine fever spread to the family's pig herd, forcing them to destroy 13 sows in the breeding period, causing significant economic damage.

Mr. The said: “Raising sows is a long-term investment for many years. The family has proactively cleaned and disinfected the barn, limiting people from entering and leaving the barn, but the disease still appears, causing the pigs to die, forcing them to be destroyed. The family's income depends on this herd of pigs, and now we don't know how to manage it. Even if we want to restore the herd, it will be difficult because the disease is still spreading strongly.”

According to statistics, the whole Vinh Son commune has 3,500 pigs, mainly raised in households. African swine fever has broken out in recent months, especially since the beginning of October, causing the disease to spread to 5/5 hamlets, with households reporting sick and dead pigs every day. To date, the commune has destroyed about 500 pigs with a total weight of over 20 tons.

Mr. Cao Thanh Luong - Chairman of Vinh Son Commune People's Committee said: African swine fever is breaking out strongly in the locality, especially after the recent floods. Vinh Son Commune's rising water level has caused livestock barns to be flooded and damp, the disease has spread through the water from affected households to other hamlets, making it very difficult to control.

According to the report of Anh Son district, from September 15, 2024 to now, African swine fever has appeared in 11 communes in the area including: Long Son, Phuc Son, Khai Son Lang Son, Vinh Son, Cao Son, Thach Son, Duc Son, Hoi Son with 51 villages, 207 households. The total number of dead pigs destroyed is 835, the total weight destroyed is over 46 tons. In particular, the epidemic is currently complicated, with the risk of widespread outbreaks, especially after the recent floods, Anh Son is one of the most heavily flooded localities in the province.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Cuong - Vice Chairman of Anh Son District People's Committee said: In localities, as soon as the epidemic appeared, the district established teams to directly inspect and guide each household. All sick and dead pigs that tested positive for African swine fever were destroyed. Synchronously deploy epidemic prevention measures such as: disease surveillance, propaganda, disinfection, control of transportation and trade of pigs and pig products... at units where the epidemic occurred in the whole district.

However, Anh Son is a district that borders many neighboring districts, has a national highway passing through, has many openings...; trading activities of animals and animal products are frequent, so preventing epidemics from other places into the district is very difficult. The disease causes very serious damage with a high mortality rate of up to 100%.

Resolutely prevent the spread of the epidemic

To prevent disease outbreaks, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 7746/UBND-NN requesting the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to deploy disease prevention and control for livestock after rain and floods according to the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, the work of preventing and controlling African swine fever is still facing certain difficulties. According to the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, African swine fever is currently the most dangerous and difficult to treat disease in livestock herds today. This disease is widespread, has a high mortality rate, there is currently no specific treatment, vaccines are not yet widely available to vaccinate pigs of all types (there is only a vaccine for pigs), and the cost of the vaccine is high (over 65,000 VND/dose). The virus can survive for a long time in the environment and is highly resistant, the transmission routes are diverse, and it is difficult to control.

In addition, the epidemic tends to "jump", spread to many places in a short time and has unpredictable developments, not following certain rules. In particular, the current erratic weather, wet rain creates favorable conditions for pathogens to arise and develop strongly. In addition, the high price of live pigs causes farmers to tend to re-herd and increase herds, and livestock management in some localities is still lax... Therefore, the risk of African swine fever outbreaks and widespread occurrence in the near future is very high.

Mr. Dang Van Minh - Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine said: In order to effectively prevent and control animal diseases, working groups and local authorities need to strengthen inspection, supervision, and strictly implement disease prevention solutions for livestock during the rainy season...

For communes with epidemics, it is necessary to set up checkpoints and put up signs indicating epidemic areas and areas threatened by epidemics; establish mobile patrol teams to check the transportation of animals and animal products. Conduct the destruction of sick and dead pigs according to the instructions of the district's professional agencies. Absolutely do not let people destroy them themselves; the destruction of dead pigs must comply with professional instructions...

For communes that have not had an epidemic, implementation is good.6 no:“Do not hide the epidemic; Do not buy, sell, or transport sick or dead pigs; Do not slaughter or consume sick or dead pigs; Do not throw pig carcasses into the environment; Do not use leftover food that has not been heat-treated; Do not use untreated pond or canal water to bathe or feed pigs. Conduct disinfection spraying, spread lime powder for prevention; place signs prohibiting the transportation of pigs and pig products from epidemic areas and areas threatened by epidemics to consumption areas. Coordinate with the District Agricultural Service Center to take samples for diagnosis and testing when there are cases of suspected sick pigs in households, farms, and ranches to prevent early...