Unsafe burial pits pose risk of African swine fever spreading in Nghe An after floods

In Linh Son 6 village, Yen Xuan commune (former Anh Son district), within just the first 5 days of August, African swine fever broke out strongly, causing 20 households to have infected pigs, the number of pigs destroyed was up to 20 tons. Mr. Bui Dang Hung's family was one of the households that suffered the most damage when they had to destroy 400 pigs with a total weight of 12 tons. "We reported to the hamlet and commune to organize the destruction, but we did not expect the disease to spread so quickly," Mr. Hung said sadly.

According to Mr. Pham Kim Hao, Head of Linh Son 6 village, the epidemic has broken out rapidly in recent days. If in July, the whole village only had 10 households with sick pigs, by early August, the number had doubled.

Mr. Hao said that one of the main reasons for the spread of the disease was due to heavy rain and floods in the upstream area, many localities were heavily flooded, and in some places, the pits where dead pigs were buried were also submerged in floodwater, so the pathogens spread into the environment through the water.

Floods from upstream also carried dead animals, floating them along rivers and canals, making the risk of spreading even more serious. “Some days, village officials had to stay on duty all day along the canals to collect pig carcasses, limiting the spread of disease,” Mr. Hao said.

Not only in Yen Xuan, Nhan Hoa commune (formerly Anh Son district) is also becoming a "hot spot" for African swine fever. After the recent flood, 17/26 villages of the commune have had the disease, the total number of pigs culled is up to 505, equivalent to nearly 35 tons. In particular, new outbreaks are continuously detected in villages located along the river, low-lying areas such as Cam Thang, 1/5, Ha Du, Hoi Lam...

Mr. Nguyen Van Que - Vice Chairman of Nhan Hoa Commune People's Committee said that the commune has Lam River and Con River flowing through. During the flood season, the river water rises very quickly, causing widespread flooding, dragging dead pigs from the upper region, causing serious water pollution. After the flood, the weather is extremely hot, the pigs, whose resistance is already weakened, are now more susceptible to disease.

“The disease mainly breaks out in households raising pigs in humid areas, near water sources, where hygiene conditions are poor,” said Mr. Que.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Son, Head of Anh Son Agricultural Service Station, the recent floods caused many communes in the area such as Nhan Hoa, Vinh Tuong, Yen Xuan, Anh Son Dong... to be severely flooded. Floodwaters overflowed, carrying pathogens that spread everywhere through the river system, streams, and canals. In particular, many pig burial pits along the riverbanks were flooded, causing pathogens to overflow and wash down to downstream areas.

What is worrying is that currently, although many low-lying and riverside localities have not recorded the situation of pig burial pits being eroded or floating after floods, in reality, most burial pits do not fully meet the technical requirements of depth, compaction, isolation from water sources, and protective embankments. Many burial pits are dug temporarily along intra-field ditches, alluvial flats, and weak soil areas due to the pressure of destroying large quantities in a short time, without having time to reinforce before the flood season.

According to the recommendations of the Nghe An Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, the African swine fever virus can survive for a long time in the environment, especially in soil, water, and decomposing animal carcasses. If the burial pits are not treated and reinforced to ensure technical standards, when heavy rains continue, water will seep into the pits, carrying the disease, and the pathogens will spread into the environment, making it very difficult to control.

In reality, many small-scale livestock households, due to lack of awareness or difficult conditions, still secretly dump dead pigs into ditches, rivers, or temporarily bury them along the edge of fields. If these actions are not strictly controlled, they will cause stronger outbreaks of disease after the water recedes, especially when the weather turns hot and dry, and the resistance of the pigs decreases.

Currently, the complicated epidemic situation is also present in the communes in the lower Lam River. African swine fever, which is latent in the environment, is now at risk of breaking out strongly after floods, when sanitation and livestock conditions are seriously affected.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, by the end of July, the whole province had destroyed nearly 13,000 pigs, equivalent to 660 tons of live pigs. The Nghe An Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine assessed that prolonged rains and floods, extreme weather and small-scale farming without ensuring biosecurity were the reasons why the disease easily broke out and spread rapidly on a large scale.

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Improper disposal of pigs infected with African swine fever will cause the disease to spread rapidly, be difficult to control and cause serious pollution. Therefore, livestock farmers and local authorities need to strictly follow the standard disposal procedure for pigs infected with African swine fever:
1. Translation reporting and confirmation:
When pigs show signs of illness or unusual death, farmers must immediately notify the commune veterinary staff to take samples for testing. In obvious outbreaks, testing can be skipped to promptly destroy them, avoiding the spread of pathogens.
2. Destruction principles
Infected pigs must be killed by electricity or other humane methods. Priority should be given to on-site destruction, avoiding long-distance transportation of carcasses. The destruction site must be
guided by the authorities, ensuring biosafety.
3. Transportation and disposal measures
Vehicles transporting pig carcasses must be sealed to prevent waste from spilling. Those involved in the disposal must clean and disinfect thoroughly. Pig carcasses must be buried or burned according to instructions. In case of burial, the bag containing the pig carcass must be tied tightly and thoroughly disinfected before transport.
4. Burial pit specifications
The burial pit must be at least 30m away from residential areas and water sources; 1.5 - 3m deep; the bottom of the pit must be spread with lime powder; the bag of pig carcasses must be covered with soil at least 1m thick, compacted, ensuring no water seeps in. The burial area must be disinfected and have warning signs posted.
5. Post-landfill management
The People's Committee at the commune level is responsible for managing and periodically inspecting burial pits and promptly handling any erosion or disease leakage. Households are only allowed to re-raise their herds with permission from veterinary authorities. Absolutely do not throw pig carcasses into the natural environment.
Note: African swine fever virus can survive for months in the environment, so proper disposal and strict control of burial pits are crucial to preventing the spread of the disease.