African Swine Fever Prevention: Unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering the livestock area.

Identify the causes

Looking back at the outbreaks that occurred in Nghe An province, it was found that among them, 4 outbreaks occurred in small-scale livestock farms and 2 outbreaks occurred in family farms. Investigations revealed that these families had not prioritized disease prevention measures.

When outsiders enter the livestock area, they are required to wear protective clothing and disinfect their shoes. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Quang Ngan, the owner of a pig farm affected by African swine fever in Hamlet 10, Nam Nghia Commune (Nam Dan District), is an example. After his pig herd was infected with African swine fever, Mr. Ngan said that the cause of the disease was likely due to transmission through feed. He explained that some time before the outbreak, he had gone to Vinh City to collect leftover food from several restaurants to feed his pigs.

For example, consider the case of the outbreak in Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuy's pig herd in Hamlet 8, Quynh My Commune (Quynh Luu District). According to Mr. Ho Van Thuong, Mrs. Thuy's son, he had previously bought several bags of commercial feed from a store to feed the pigs. Furthermore, observations show that hygiene in the pig pens was not properly maintained.

Alternatively, regarding the outbreak at Mr. Nguyen Van Dung's household in Hamlet 1, Nghia Dong Commune (Tan Ky District), investigations revealed that more than a month prior, he and his wife had visited Ninh Binh Province, where African swine fever was spreading in several northern provinces. Therefore, according to Mr. and Mrs. Dung's assessment, their pig herd may have contracted the disease from that source.

Most recently, an outbreak occurred at the pig farm of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa in Long Minh hamlet, Minh Son commune (Do Luong district). Investigations reveal that the cause may have been due to two traders who regularly buy pork visiting his farm about 15 days ago; in addition, Mr. Hoa had been feeding his pigs with commercial feed in recent days. Therefore, it is possible that African swine fever spread from the two pig buyers or from the commercial feed.

Strict disease control measures are in place at the pig farm.

Based on that reality, Mr. Nguyen Van Lap - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that: Investing in pig farming in the form of farms and family farms requires families to invest heavily in purchasing breeding stock, feed, etc. If African swine fever occurs, it will cause huge economic losses to the farm owner, and moreover, it can easily lead to outbreaks in the area.

Therefore, during this period of complex African swine fever outbreaks, pig farmers should limit their interactions with the outside world to avoid the spread of the disease through clothing and footwear; they should also avoid visiting areas where outbreaks have recently occurred.

For farm owners and smallholders, it is necessary to implement effective disease prevention measures such as: creating disinfection pits in front of the farm gates, wearing protective gear before entering the farm; absolutely no interaction with unauthorized persons, and prohibiting them from entering the livestock area. When outsiders need to enter the farm area, they must wear protective clothing and boots and follow disinfection procedures.

Regularly spraying disinfectants will help prevent disease outbreaks in pigs. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"Before transporting commercial feed to the farm, the packaging needs to be sprayed with chemicals. Because the vehicles travel through many localities and pig farms, it is very easy for African swine fever to spread through them. At the same time, vaccinate the pigs against other diseases to keep them healthy and highly resistant; in addition, regularly clean the barns and spray disinfectant chemicals on a regular basis."

GrandfatherNguyen Van Lap- Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development