Following the veterinary officer as he vaccinates the livestock.

No household will be left out.

One day at the end of March, we had the opportunity to be with the team.vaccinationRabies prevention for dogs and disease control for buffaloes and cows in Tan Da hamlet, Ky Tan commune, Tan Ky district. At exactly 7:00 AM on March 29th, Tan Da hamlet formed two vaccination teams, each with 7 people, assigned to vaccinate in different residential areas.

Our team, led by Mr. Dang Quang Nguyen, a land and agricultural officer of the commune, included the Party branch secretary, the head of the village's Fatherland Front committee, the head of the farmers' association branch, the village militia leader, and the local veterinary officer.

After assigning each member a task, the entire team went to each house, working with the homeowner to catch the dogs and using ropes to tie the buffaloes' horns securely to the barn for injection. That was all they had to do, but it required many people because sometimes they had to chase after the dogs and use ropes to restrain large, strong buffaloes before they could be injected.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Secretary of the Tan Da hamlet Party branch, said: "From the previous afternoon, the hamlet had announced the plan through the public address system so that all families would know about it."vaccinate dogs against rabies.To prevent the spread of diseases in buffaloes and cattle, every household proactively kept their livestock confined and chained up at home this morning. When the vaccination team arrived, the homeowners held their dogs while the veterinary officers administered the injections. In cases where a dog could not be chained, the team used pliers to catch it. After the vaccinations were completed, the households received certificates of animal vaccination. All costs, including vaccines and fees, were borne entirely by the household.

According to our observations, most families in Tan Da hamlet own 2-3 dogs. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thanh's family in Tan Da hamlet has 3 adult dogs. When the vaccination team arrived, the family chained all the dogs to a corner of the yard. After the vaccinations were completed, the family paid 90,000 VND (30,000 VND per dose of rabies vaccine) and received a vaccination certificate.

In Tan Da hamlet, Mr. Bui Van Mao's family owns three dogs, one buffalo, and one calf. Except for the young calf, which hasn't been vaccinated, the buffalo and three dogs have all been vaccinated. Mr. Mao stated that his family raises buffalo and many dogs every year, and they always comply fully with veterinary regulations when the hamlet organizes vaccination campaigns.

After a session with the Tan Da hamlet's livestock vaccination team, it was observed that every family proactively confined and chained their dogs and buffaloes/cows to ensure timely vaccinations. For households that had reasons for not being home, the team recorded their names so that they could receive supplementary vaccinations the following day. However, the team members faced considerable difficulties, as many dogs and buffaloes were aggressive, requiring professional techniques to administer the vaccinations, while the remuneration was low.

Mr. Trinh Huy Toan, Chairman of the Ky Tan Commune People's Committee, said: Following the district's directive, the Commune People's Committee has issued a plan for vaccinating livestock against rabies and other diseases in the Spring of 2024. Accordingly, Ky Tan has developed a specific vaccination schedule for each hamlet, aiming to assign appropriate supervisory and monitoring staff, with the motto of ensuring no household is missed. The commune's plan is to organize vaccinations from March 20th to April 15th.

"As in previous years, Ky Tan has achieved a vaccination rate of 70-80% for foot-and-mouth disease and hemorrhagic septicemia, and 100% for rabies," Mr. Trinh Huy Toan added.

According to Mr. Le Duc Tinh, Director of the Tan Ky District Agricultural Service Center, Tan Ky has a total of over 33,000 buffaloes and cows, over 52,000 pigs, and over 33,000 dogs. The district plans to vaccinate 15,000 doses of vaccine this spring.Foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, bovine hemorrhagic septicemia vaccine.and over 30,000 doses of rabies vaccine for dogs. By March 28th, all 22/22 communes and towns in the district had received 4,350 doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine and 5,400 doses of bovine hemorrhagic septicemia vaccine; and 2,850 doses of rabies vaccine for dogs.

Regarding vaccines for pigs, local authorities do not register the vaccinations; farmers administer them themselves and report to the local government. Tan Ky will complete the vaccination of livestock by April 15th.

"The advantage of Tan Ky is that the localities have already assigned enough veterinary staff at the commune level, so the vaccination campaign is running smoothly. As of March 29th, several communes have organized vaccination campaigns quite extensively: Ky Tan, Ky Son, Phu Son, Nghia Dung, Nghia Hop, the town... among them, some localities have achieved high vaccination rates, especially for rabies vaccine for dogs," said Mr. Le Duc Tinh.

Strive to vaccinate 80% or more of the total herd.

Nghe An currently has 800,000 buffaloes and cows, 1 million pigs, and 400,000 dogs. In 2023, some localities had high rates of livestock vaccination, such as Do Luong, Nam Dan, Nghia Dan, and Hung Nguyen. However, some localities still had low vaccination rates, ranging from 20% to 50%, such as Nghi Loc, Thanh Chuong, Hoang Mai town, and Vinh city.

To limit disease outbreaks in livestock, one of the most important solutions is to ensure full vaccination. In early March 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 1537/UBND-NN on focusing on directing and strictly implementing the vaccination program for livestock in 2024.

Accordingly, vaccination is organized twice a year, in the spring and autumn. For cattle and buffaloes, vaccines are given against foot-and-mouth disease, hemorrhagic septicemia, and lumpy skin disease; for pigs, vaccines are given against foot-and-mouth disease, hemorrhagic septicemia, and swine cholera; for goats and sheep, vaccines are given against foot-and-mouth disease; and for dogs and cats, vaccines are given against rabies.

Local authorities are compiling livestock data and registering their vaccine needs for the spring season, with vaccination scheduled from March 15th to April 15th, 2024. Specifically, only one dose of rabies vaccine for dogs and cats, and lumpy skin disease vaccine for buffaloes and cattle, is required per year.

For districts receiving vaccine support under the National Target Program and provincial policies, administer all vaccines that have been submitted and allocated. In cases where vaccines are insufficient, local authorities should direct livestock farmers to purchase additional vaccines or allocate funds to purchase more to achieve a vaccination rate of 80% or more of the total herd.