African swine fever spreads to another of Ho Chi Minh City’s neighbors
Wednesday, May 22, 2019, 11:16 GMT+7
The African swine fever (ASF) epidemic has spread to Binh Duong Province, about 35 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, prompting competent authorities to take more assertive measures to protect the southern metropolis.
Two husbandry facilities in Vinh Hoa Commune, Phu Giao District on Sunday discovered that their pigs had many red dots across their skin, while tens of others had died.
Local authorities later examined the animals and concluded that they had been infected with ASF.
On Tuesday, the provincial department of livestock, veterinary medicine, and fishing disposed of more than 1,000 pigs at the two venues.
The residents were given support worth VND38,000 (US$1.6) per kilogram of the infected pigs.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development convened a meeting on the same day to discuss measures to control the epidemic.
Authorities have to be more alert as Phu Giao District is situated next to Dong Phu District in Binh Phuoc Province.
Binh Duong Province is the second out of six neighbors next to Ho Chi Minh City to have been affected by ASF.
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| Pigs are destroyed at a husbandry facility in Phu Giao District, Binh Duong Province. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre |
Dong Nai Province, about 35 kilometers northeast of the southern metropolis, announced the discovery of the epidemic in early May, after pigs in four communes were found infected.
Many swine herds in Dong Nai have been disposed of as a result.
Local authorities have established numerous specialized units to closely monitor the transport of pigs and pork within the province.
The other four provinces bordering Ho Chi Minh City are Long An, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.
The ASF epidemic was first uncovered in the northern provinces of Hung Yen and Thai Binh in mid-February and has so far affected more than 30 provinces and cities across Vietnam, including Hanoi.
More than 1.5 million farmed pigs infected with the disease have been culled, accounting for five percent of the country’s swine herd.
The Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said in early April that epidemic had been put under control, with multiple localities reporting no new outbreaks in a period of 30 days.
However, competent authorities have recently warned that the disease could spread to such localities again, given the complicated development of the epidemic.
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