African swine fever breaks out in 60 provinces, cities

Hanoi (VNA) – Outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) were reported in 60 provinces and cities across the country as of June 24, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health.

To date, the south central province of Ninh Thuan, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre and the southwestern province of Tay Ninh have been free from the disease.

Nguyen Van Long, an official of the Department of Animal Health, said that as there is no antidote or vaccine for ASF while it is hard to control the disease, the ASF will soon spread to the three provinces.

Despite strict measures, farmers could not prevent the ASF from hitting their large-scale livestock farms.

Nearly 20,000 pigs of Phu Son Livestock JSC in Dong Nai province’s Trang Bom district were infected with the disease, the largest ever outbreak recorded in the locality so far. The Department of Animal Health will work with the local authorities to handle the issue.

The department said localities must stand ready to prevent the disease, and pay special attention to the bio-safety breeding method.

More than 2.8 million pigs were culled after the ASF was discovered in 4,401 communes of 459 districts nationwide.

The ASF does not affect humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost always fatal. There is currently no antidote or vaccine, with the only known preventative measure being a mass cull of infected livestock. The disease spreads by contact between infected pigs or other wild animals and can inflict massive economic damage on farms.-VNA