#13,939
African Swine fever, which was only first reported in Vietnam a month ago, continues to spread rapidly across the northern half of the country. Since my last full update a week ago (see Media Reports 12th & 13th Province Hit With African Swine Fever) 5 more provinces have been added to the list.
Affected provinces/cities now include: Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh, Lang Son, Dien Bien , Son La, Quang Ninh, Bac Kan, Nghe An, and Bac Ninh.Over the weekend Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture (MARD) released the following letter.
Official Letter No. 1860 / BNN-TY on strengthening control of trafficking, transporting illegal pig scene. (Excerpt)
In Vietnam, as of 16/03/2016, the African Swine Fever have occurred in 253 communes, 57 districts of 18 provinces and cities, with the total number of pig disease and destruction are 26 807 children. Risk of disease transmission is continued widespread in the future is very high. African Hog Cholera is a disease truyenn dangerous infectious viral disease in all types of pigs (pigs, including pigs and wild boar scene); Lunn disease die lah power up to 100%, causing great damage to the economy; In this case, you have to go to the place of phongng disease, no treatment; the disease does not infect humans.
There's been a shift in the way outbreaks are reported over the past week, as we are no longer seeing the number of households hit. Ten days ago, that number stood at 560, at a time when only 84 communes in 10 Provinces had been struck.
Unlike what we've seen in China, where large pig farms have been struck, ASF continues to be reportedly almost exclusively in small holdings and backyard herds in Vietnam. Exactly how the virus has spread so rapidly and infected so many individual households remains a mystery.This translated report the Lao Dong Newspaper.
18 provinces "sticky" cholera of African pigs: Tears of farmers continue to fall
LDO | March 18, 2019 | 8:00 am
By March 16, 2015, there were 18 provinces with cholera swine in the whole country. It seems that the initial damage seems to be "impervious" compared to the coming days, when specialized agencies predict that the epidemic will break out strongly.
In addition to Bac Ninh province, which has been infected with infectious diseases, on March 17, 2002, African swine outbreaks broke out in 18 provinces, the risk of "south advancing" ASF epidemic is calculated only daily.
Pham Van Dong, Director of Animal Health Department, said: The main cause of the epidemic is caused by some breeders, traders are not fully aware of the dangerous nature of the disease as well as for the immediate economic benefits.
(SNIP)
The cause of the disease must be reassessed
In order to prevent the spread of ASF epidemic, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong asked the Department of Animal Health to re-evaluate all causes of disease, synthesize and study the main cause;
Review the sampling of pigs around the outbreak, because the outbreaks are currently occurring in the form of "sticky rice", because the results of the samples of pigs around the outbreak have been positive in the past time. charged with cholera of African pigs is very low.Meanwhile from neighboring China, where the number of outbreaks still officially hovers at 113, we are hearing very little, as they have only announced two outbreaks in the month of March.
In the coming time, it is necessary to focus on prevention in small households. The most important thing is to clean the breeding facilities; implement translation measures according to the issued scenario. In particular, when a pandemic is detected, it is necessary to immediately notify the veterinary agency for remedial measures; Strict management of pig transport is carried out according to local scale.
Localities need to synchronously implement policies to support diseased pig herds; propaganda to people to understand policies to support and prevent the dumping of sick pigs; consumers do not turn away from pork for safety. In particular, review the whole process of prevention and control of epidemics, from which there is a more radical solution.
"For households with epidemics, it is recommended not to re-herd at this time, when there is a conclusion of a safe professional agency, it will be re-herded" - Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong.
(Continue . . .)
Despite this official silence, a Google search for the term `死猪'' (`Dead Pigs') returns a daily barrage of (unverified) Chinese media reports of suspicious die offs of pigs around the nation, along with the illegal dumping of pig carcasses.
