
Hanoi (VNA) – Outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) were reported in60 provinces and cities across the country as of June 24, according to theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health.
To date, the south central province of Ninh Thuan, the Mekong Delta province ofBen Tre and the southwestern province of Tay Ninh have been free from thedisease.
Nguyen Van Long, an official of the Department of Animal Health, said that asthere is no antidote or vaccine for ASF while it is hard to control thedisease, the ASF will soon spread to the three provinces.
Despite strict measures, farmers could not prevent the ASF from hitting theirlarge-scale livestock farms.
Nearly 20,000 pigs of Phu Son Livestock JSC in Dong Nai province’s Trang Bomdistrict were infected with the disease, the largest ever outbreak recorded inthe locality so far. The Department of Animal Health will work with the localauthorities to handle the issue.
The department said localities must stand ready to prevent the disease, and payspecial attention to the bio-safety breeding method.
More than 2.8 million pigs were culled after the ASF was discovered in 4,401communes of 459 districts nationwide.
TheASF does not affect humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boarsthat is almost always fatal. There is currently no antidote or vaccine, withthe only known preventative measure being a mass cull of infected livestock.The disease spreads by contact between infected pigs or other wild animals andcan inflict massive economic damage on farms.-VNA