Set up an inspection team to "provide foot-and-mouth disease-infected cows to people"

On May 26, Mr. Kha Van Ot - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district (Nghe An), said that next week, the district will establish a delegation to inspect the implementation of the project to provide breeding cows under Program 30a in the area. This move was made after some households reported that the project's breeding cows had foot-and-mouth disease just a few days after being distributed.

Mr. Ot said that, implementing the Poverty Reduction Target Program (Program 30a), in 2017, Tuong Duong district had 331 households registered and voluntarily contributed more money to receive breeding cows. Each breeding cow weighs 125 kg or more and costs 14,250 million VND. Of which, the State supports 10 million VND per cow. The rest is contributed by the people.

According to the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district, from January 2018 to April 2018, the district provided 170 breeding cows to people in 8 communes. However, on April 12, just a few days after receiving the second batch of breeding cows, some households in Luu Kien and Tam Thai communes discovered that the cows had foot-and-mouth disease. Then, as of May 7, up to 18 breeding cows of this project were confirmed to have foot-and-mouth disease. In addition, nearly 100 other cows of the people also carried this disease.

Since the beginning of the year, Tuong Duong district has provided 170 breeding cows to local people. Photo: Tien Hung

“The district People’s Committee then announced the epidemic and established a Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control. Vaccination and disinfection of the epidemic area were organized. Since May 18, no cows have been recorded to have contracted the disease,” said Mr. Kha Van Ot.

Tuong Duong District People's Committee admitted that in the process of receiving breeding cows for people, there were two shortcomings in implementing disease prevention and breeding procedures.

According to regulations, breeding cows must be vaccinated against epidemics in two doses. The first dose includes one dose of septicemia vaccine and one dose of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. The second dose of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine is injected 21 to 28 days later. Samples should be taken 14 to 21 days after the second dose to check the antibody content of foot-and-mouth disease. However, the herd of breeding cows brought to Tuong Duong district after the second dose of vaccine was not given for a sufficient number of days but samples were taken for testing, which is not in accordance with regulations.

In addition, Tuong Duong district also admitted that the timing of supplying breeding cows to the locality was not appropriate. This was the time of changing seasons, and in some communes, vaccinations had not yet reached the protection rate for livestock, but breeding cows had been imported.

District leaders said that it is therefore very difficult to determine whether the project's breeding cows transmitted foot-and-mouth disease to local cows or whether local cows transmitted the disease to the project cows.

Some breeding cows got foot and mouth disease just a few days after being given the cows. Photo: Tien Hung

Regarding these shortcomings, the leader of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district said that he will review, learn from experience and direct units to coordinate with communes to focus on epidemic prevention, overcome consequences, and not let people suffer.

Tien Hung