Bac Kan province declares ASF-free status on April 12. (Photo: VNA) Bac Kan (VNA) – The northernmountainous province of Bac Kan has become the second locality in Vietnam todeclare the end of the local African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.
On March 13, Ngan Son district reported an ASFoutbreak after a pig farmed by a household in Thom Ta hamlet of Thuong Quancommune died on March 9, testing positive for the fatal virus.
Local authorities immediately took actions toprevent this disease from spreading.
At the meeting to announce the ASF-free statuson April 12, Deputy Director of the Bac Kan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Nguyen Ngoc Cuong said that although no new outbreaks have beenreported over the last 30 days, the province has still issued warnings andincreased forces to prevent the recurrence of ASF.
Animal husbandry is an important sector in BacKan, which farms about 181,000 pigs at present.
Hoa Binh province had previously declared itsASF-free status on April 9.
Since ASF was first recorded in Vietnam onFebruary 1, the disease has spread to more than 20 provinces and cities.
According to the World Organisation for AnimalHealth (OIE), ASF is a fatal infectious disease that spreads rapidly among pigsbut does not affect humans. The only known preventative measure is a masscull of infected livestock.
The OIE estimates that since early 2017, 20countries reported ASF outbreaks with more than 1 million pigs culled.-VNA
VNA
