Focus on preventing and controlling foot-and-mouth disease in livestock

(Urgent telegram No. 35/CD-UBND, November 1, 2013of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province)

According to the announcement of the Department of Animal Health, currently the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epidemic is complicated in a number of provinces and cities across the country. The most dangerous type A FMD epidemic has occurred in a number of communes and districts in Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Quang Tri provinces and is showing signs of spreading widely.

In Nghe An province, there are some small outbreaks of FMD type O in Hung Nguyen district, Nghi Loc, Vinh city... Due to the impact of storms No. 10 and 11, many localities were flooded, causing environmental pollution, food scarcity, and unusual weather changes, reducing livestock resistance. The province has many large livestock trading and transportation markets, bordering Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa provinces, where outbreaks are occurring.FMD type A is a dangerous virus, highly virulent, spreads quickly... therefore, the risk of FMD occurring and spreading in the future is very high.

In order to proactively prevent the infiltration of FMD type A and limit the outbreak and spread of FMD in livestock, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requests the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities, towns; Directors of relevant departments, branches and sectors to strictly implement the contents of Official Dispatch No. 15/CD-BNN-TY dated October 24, 2013 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on strengthening the prevention and control of FMD in livestock, paying special attention to the following contents:

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

a) Assign the Chairmen of the People's Committees of communes, wards and towns to strengthen monitoring and early detection of outbreaks; when an outbreak occurs, resolutely and synchronously deploy disease prevention and control solutions to quickly extinguish the outbreak.

b) Strengthen information and propaganda work to raise people's awareness of the harmful effects, contagious nature and measures to prevent and control FMD on mass media; direct local media agencies to devote appropriate time to propaganda.

c) Direct communes, wards and towns to strengthen inspection, control, transportation and slaughter control, promptly detect and handle livestock and livestock products of unknown origin, without quarantine certificates; livestock and livestock products with diseases, especially FMD type A.

d) For districts: Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Vinh City, Hoang Mai Town, Quynh Luu, Nghia Dan bordering Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces:

- Direct communes, wards and towns bordering the above two provinces: Organize patrol forces, control the transportation of livestock and livestock products on roads, shortcuts, rivers, roads... into the area, strictly handle violations.

- Direct the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Economic Department), Veterinary Station to advise on the establishment of temporary animal quarantine checkpoints in key areas, coordinate with functional forces (Police, Market Management...) to strictly control, not allowing animals and animal products carrying pathogens into the area.

e) Proactively develop plans for human resources, funding, means, tools, and chemicals to promptly prevent and control epidemics when they occur.

2. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Take the lead in coordinating with the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to strengthen the direction of animal disease prevention and control in the province.

b) Direct the Veterinary Department:

- Strengthen disease inspection and monitoring, develop plans for supplies, vaccines, chemicals, etc. and submit them to competent authorities for approval, in order to proactively prevent and control diseases; take samples to identify the type of virus causing the disease;

- Strictly inspect and control the transportation of livestock and livestock products of unknown origin from epidemic areas into the province.

- Direct the Bac 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 be on duty 24/7 to strictly control and strictly handle violations of animal and animal product transportation according to the provisions of law.

- Advise on setting up mobile control teams; quarantine checkpoints, temporary control of livestock and poultry transportation to prevent epidemics (when necessary).

3. Department of Information and Communications, Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper; District Radio and Television Station: closely coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, fully and promptly propagate the situation of FMD in livestock, prevention and control measures so that people know how to coordinate implementation.

4. Relevant departments, branches and sectors; members of the provincial steering committee for disease prevention and control: based on their functions and tasks, coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People's Committees of districts to direct the implementation of effective disease prevention measures.

Requesting Chairmen of People's Committees of districts, cities, towns; Directors of departments, heads of provincial-level branches and sectors 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 solutions.

KT. Chairman

Vice president:Dinh Viet Hong