Urgent telegram on avian influenza prevention

(Baonghean.vn) - The Provincial People's Committee issued urgent dispatch No. 03/CD-UBND dated February 7, 2017 on focusing on implementing urgent measures to prevent and control avian influenza in the province.

On February 2, 2017, nearly 500 ducks infected with H5N1 in Dien Loc (Dien Chau) were destroyed according to the correct procedure. Photo: Document

The full text of the telegram is as follows:

CHAIRMAN OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OF NGHE AN PROVINCE, telegram:

- Chairman of People's Committee of districts, cities and towns

- Directors of provincial Departments, Boards and Branches

From January 15, 2017 to February 2, 2017, there were 3 outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in the province in Thuan Son commune, Do Luong district, Dien Loc and Dien Thang communes, Dien Chau district, causing many poultry to become sick and die, forcing them to be destroyed.

The cause of the outbreak is that poultry flocks have not been vaccinated against avian influenza; the rate of avian influenza virus circulation in large poultry flocks; the transportation and trade of poultry and poultry products during the Lunar New Year holiday has increased, combined with prolonged cold and rainy weather reducing the resistance of livestock, creating favorable conditions for pathogens present in the bodies of healthy poultry, as well as in the farming environment to develop and cause disease.

In order to promptly control outbreaks, prevent the epidemic from spreading widely, minimize damage caused by influenza, and protect human health, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requests Chairmen of People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns; Directors of relevant Departments, Boards, and Branches to focus on directing the good implementation of the following contents:

1. People's Committees of districts, cities and towns

a) For districts with epidemics including Do Luong and Dien Chau, it is necessary to concentrate all resources to control the epidemic as soon as possible, not allowing the epidemic to spread widely.

b) Direct the Livestock and Veterinary Station to coordinate with the commune-level authorities to strengthen surveillance, quickly detect poultry cases to handle small-scale outbreaks. Assign responsibility to the secretary, hamlet chief, commune-level veterinarian, and livestock farmers to monitor and report epidemics according to regulations.

c) Strengthen information and propaganda work on district television stations and loudspeaker systems of communes, wards and towns about the dangerous nature of avian influenza virus. Require farmers to report the epidemic when they discover sick or unusually dead poultry; strictly prohibit hiding the epidemic, selling sick poultry to spread the epidemic; do not trade poultry and poultry products of unknown origin, not quarantined.

d) Direct the People's Committees at the commune level to carefully review poultry farms and ranches in the area, and require farmers to vaccinate their poultry flocks against avian influenza according to the provisions of the Veterinary Law and Circular No. 07/2016/TT-BNNPTNT dated May 31, 2016 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regulating the prevention and control of terrestrial animal diseases.

e) Assign specific responsibilities to each relevant department, office, and unit to send staff directly to the grassroots to urge, direct, and supervise epidemic prevention and control work in localities, focusing on areas with high risk of infection; prepare human resources and materials to respond urgently when an epidemic occurs.

f) Direct relevant forces (veterinary, market management, police, etc.) to regularly inspect and monitor poultry trading, slaughtering and business locations; strengthen management and prevent the transportation of poultry and poultry products from epidemic areas, of unknown origin, and not yet quarantined into the district. Promptly detect and strictly handle violations according to the provisions of law.

g) Implement good hygiene and disinfection in livestock farming, focusing on areas at high risk of avian influenza outbreaks (poultry farming areas, trading markets, poultry collection points, hatcheries, poultry slaughterhouses, etc.).

2. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Take the lead in coordinating with the People's Committees at district level and relevant departments and branches to strengthen the direction and implementation of avian influenza prevention and control work in the province.

b) Direct the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine:

- Coordinate with the People's Committee at district level to thoroughly handle avian influenza outbreaks according to regulations on avian influenza prevention and control.

- Carry out quarantine of poultry and poultry products properly according to regulations. Strengthen coordination with inter-sectoral functional forces to inspect, control, arrest and handle violations in transporting poultry and poultry products in and out of the province.

- Assign the Northern Nghe An Quarantine Station to coordinate with the Hoang Mai Town Police and the provincial Traffic Police force on duty on National Highway 1A to strictly control and strictly handle violations of transporting poultry and poultry products of unknown origin, not ensuring food safety...

3. Department of Health:Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to deploy measures to prevent avian influenza from spreading to humans.

4. Department of Information and Communications, Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper

Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Health to increase information and propaganda on mass media about the situation of avian influenza epidemic, the dangers of the disease and measures to prevent and control the epidemic so that people know and voluntarily implement them.

5. Provincial Police:Direct the traffic police, environmental police, economic security of the province and district, coordinate with functional branches and localities to investigate, monitor and grasp the situation and take measures to educate and deter subjects showing signs of trading, transporting and consuming smuggled poultry and poultry products; inspect, control, arrest and strictly handle organizations and individuals transporting poultry and poultry products of unknown origin, without slaughter control marks, veterinary hygiene stamps, not quarantined or violating food hygiene and safety.

6. Relevant departments, branches and sectors:Based on the functions and tasks of coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the People's Committee at the district level directs the implementation of effective epidemic prevention and control measures.

7. Organizations and individuals involved in raising, slaughtering, trading, selling, and transporting poultry and poultry products

Strictly comply with current regulations of the Law on raising, slaughtering, trading poultry and poultry products; comply with periodic and unscheduled inspections or sampling of poultry and poultry products according to regulations; keep records and books recording necessary information to trace the origin of poultry and poultry products when requested by competent authorities; comply with regular vaccination against avian influenza according to regulations.

Organizations and individuals raising poultry that do not comply with avian influenza vaccination according to veterinary law regulations, if an avian influenza outbreak occurs and the poultry must be destroyed, will not be eligible for state support policies.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns; Directors of Departments, Heads of Provincial-level Committees and Branches to urgently and synchronously and effectively implement epidemic prevention measures. During the implementation process, if there are any problems or difficulties, the units should report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis and submission to the Provincial People's Committee for timely resolution./.

Provincial People's Committee