Risk of disease spread

(Baonghean) - At Linh Son - Lang Son ferry in Anh Son district, we witnessed the scene of dead pigs floating on the Lam River. According to observations, the pigs weighed about 7-8 hundred kilos, with many white and dark green spots, and had been thrown into the river for about 3-5 days. When asked, some people in hamlet 6, Lang Son commune and hamlet 10, Linh Son commune, said, "What's so strange about dead pigs? Recently, every month and every day we cross the river by ferry, we see dead pigs floating on the river, but we don't see anyone paying attention, so we don't care." According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Tung - the ferry owner, "Since August, after the flood, every day there are dead pigs floating on the river, some are piglets, some are pigs. Many of them have been stuck for a long time at the foot of the fish cage at the foot of the Linh Son Irrigation Station, and they stink."

Dead pigs were tied up and left floating on Lam River.
(Photo taken at Linh-Lang ferry, behind Lang Son Secondary School - Anh Son)

Talking with Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ung - Head of the Veterinary Station of Anh Son district, it was said that "the agency has not heard this information, if so, we will investigate the information from specific local veterinarians". According to Mr. Ung, this year, the disease situation in the pig herd in Anh Son is basically stable, only symptoms of leptospirosis (also known as pig disease) appear. This disease has symptoms of pigs not eating, weakness, irregular feces, and burning smell when locked in the pen, occurring in sows and pigs. The cause of this symptom is the spirochete virus, which can be spread by rats and rodents grazing on the pig herd. This disease is very difficult to detect, people are still vague, only knowing when there is support from veterinary staff. Since September, many communes have had pig leptospirosis in a "leapfrog" pattern, most of which are in communes near Lam River such as Linh Son with 10 pigs/month, Thach Son with 10 pigs/month, Lang Son with 5 pigs/month, Hung Son with 7 pigs/month... Mr. Ung affirmed that this epidemic occurred but in the district, pigs basically recovered on their own, only a few dead pigs were instructed by local veterinary services to be buried.

According to Mr. Mai Quoc Sy - Head of Linh Son Commune Veterinary Department, the symptoms of sick pigs occur on a small scale, in small numbers, while the growth cycle of pigs for meat is 2-3.5 months before being sold, so people do not care. Veterinarians may not report enough or ignore the report, so it is difficult to control the situation.

Although the cause of the dead pigs being dumped into the Lam River has not been clearly determined, this is also an alarming situation regarding the disease control of livestock by the authorities, especially the veterinary sector in Anh Son district. More blameworthy is the lack of awareness of some people, who dump dead pigs into the Lam River, causing environmental pollution and spreading disease.

Mai Luong