Focus on suppressing the dangerous A/H5N6 avian influenza outbreak in Hoang Mai town

Destroy all 795 infected poultry of Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh's family. Photo provided by Quynh Vinh commune

Mr. Vu Le Hung - Chairman of Quynh Vinh Commune People's Committee said: To control the local outbreak of avian influenza A/H5N6, the commune has provided chemicals and lime powder for families to spray and sprinkle disinfectants around the livestock barns at the outbreak and on the roads of the hamlet. At the same time, it has propagated to people in the area to proactively prevent the epidemic for poultry. Currently, there are more than 20 thousand poultry in the commune, of which 3,400 poultry in hamlet 5; the area that needs to be sprayed with disinfectants is about 100,000 m2.

Quynh Vinh Commune has provided lime powder to sprinkle on the road leading to the epidemic area. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to Mr. Ho Nghia Binh - Head of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Hoang Mai town, the cause of the above outbreak is likely because Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh's family had just bought a flock of ducks from Hanoi but had not yet vaccinated them against the epidemic; furthermore, Quynh Vinh commune is adjacent to Thanh Hoa province, with National Highway 1A running through the commune, so it is difficult to control the transportation of poultry in and out of the area.

Currently in Nghe An, there are 2 outbreaks of avian influenza A/H5N6 in Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) and Quynh Vinh commune (Hoang Mai town).

Avian influenza H5N6 is a dangerous infectious disease caused by influenza virus type A (H5N6). The disease spreads very quickly, killing many poultry species such as chickens, ducks, geese, quails, etc., causing serious economic losses for farmers. In particular, avian influenza H5N6 can be transmitted to humans and cause death.

Therefore, to prevent the transmission of A/H5N6 influenza from poultry to humans, the Ministry of Health requires veterinary agencies and local authorities to thoroughly handle outbreaks, implement disinfection measures, strengthen surveillance and take samples to monitor influenza viruses in poultry in at-risk areas. In addition, the health sector needs to pay attention to monitoring and early detection of human cases, especially in areas with avian influenza outbreaks.