HANOI, Nov 10 (NNN-VNA) – Hundreds of African swine fever outbreaks have been reported in Vietnam’s central localities in the past few weeks, forcing authorities to take drastic action to prevent the disease from further spreading.
In central Thanh Hoa province, the disease hit 42 communes of 10 districts and towns this year. Nearly 2,200 pigs, weighing over 150 tonnes were culled, provincial media, Thanh Hoa Radio and Television, reported yesterday.
Meanwhile, authorities in central Quang Binh province said that, so far, 41 communes of eight districts and towns have been affected by the swine fever, with nearly 2,100 pigs weighing roughly 121 tonnes culled.
Several localities in central Vietnam, including Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam and Quang Tri provinces, announced hundreds of swine fever outbreaks, noting that the situation has been more complicated since Sept. Measures are being taken to encircle, control and extinguish the outbreaks.
There are very high risks that the swine fever will occur and further spread in the remaining months of this year, said the Department of Animal Health, under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Changing weather, increasing slaughtering, transportation and trading of pigs in time to come, and fewer resources available to counter the swine fever, due to COVID-19, were among the main reasons for the outbreaks.
By the end of Oct, over 1,900 African swine fever outbreaks were confirmed across 57 localities nationwide, leading to the culling of nearly 160,000 pigs or 0.6 percent of the country’s total herd, local media cited the department as reporting.– NNN-VNA
