Vietnam on high alert of African swine fever recurrence

Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:32:22|Editor: huaxia

HANOI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Many localities across Vietnam have recently reported the recurrence of the African swine fever (ASF), raising concerns about the widespread of the disease this year.

In the past 10 days, farmers in Que Phong district, Vietnam's central Nghe An province, have culled 118 pigs, equivalent to nearly five tons, due to the ASF, local authorities said Friday.

Starting with an outbreak on Sept. 7, the disease has now been confirmed in three communes of Que Phong district, according to the provincial government's newspaper Nghe An.

Since late August, Nghe An province has recorded ASF outbreaks in five other districts, including Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, Nam Dan, Ky Son and Nghi Loc, said the authorities.

The recurrence of ASF was also seen in the southern Mekong Delta after nearly six months free of new outbreaks, local online newspaper Sai Gon Liberty reported Friday.

Specimens from pigs raised by some households in southern Ca Mau and Soc Trang province tested positive to the ASF virus few days ago, according to the report.

Local authorities are currently taking measures to encircle, control and extinguish the outbreaks, not to let them spread to large areas.

The recurrence is attributable to the changing weather, which reduces the resistance of livestock and creates favorable conditions for pathogens to survive and spread, said Ngo Duc Quynh, deputy head of the Department of Livestock and Animal Health of Nghe An province.

Other reasons include irregular disinfection and detoxification work, low vaccination rate among pigs which fails to ensure resistance and immunity, Quynh said, adding that the transportation, slaughtering and trading of pigs and pork products have not been strictly controlled, while people are in a hurry to re-develop the flock without ensuring biosafety conditions.

Vietnam had culled a total of 43,150 pigs, equivalent to about 2,157 tons, since earlier this year to early September in order to curb the spread of African swine fever, Vietnam News Agency cited the Department of Animal Health under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as reporting.

In 2019, African swine fever spread to all provinces and cities in Vietnam, leading to the death and culling of about 5.9 million pigs, according to the news agency. Enditem

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001393788041