Spraying antiseptic at poultry breeding farms prevents possible disease outbreaks (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) -Authorities in southern provinces and cities are taking necessary measuresto prevent diseases in poultry and transmission to humans.
The weather in the south is now ina transition period, which is creating favourable conditions forthe development of diseases if effective measures are not taken.
From now until the end of the year, the MekongDelta province of Kien Giang will strengthen preventive measures to preventA/H5N1 avian influenza and avoid new outbreaks next year.
The province’s Sub-department ofAnimal Husbandry and Health has coordinated with localities to provideH5N1 avian flu vaccines to its 15 local districts and cities, especially inpoultry farming areas and breeding grounds.
At the same time, the sub-department is alsocleaning and disinfecting the environment in hatcheries, breeding facilities,slaughterhouses, and trade and transport of poultry.
It is also raising awareness among poultrybreeders and the public about the risk of avian influenza A/H5N1.
Local authorities have coordinated with agenciesto protect poultry flock and ensure hygiene andfood safety for consumers, especially for the Christmas, NewYear and Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.
The provincial Department of Agriculture andRural Development has directed districts, communes and wards topromptly detect and handle new outbreaks and prevent the spread ofdisease.
Around the end of October, Hon Dat district’sanimal husbandry division recorded three H5N1 outbreaks in Binh Son commune andSoc Son town.
About 750 chickens at three breeding householdswere culled. All samples taken from the outbreaks testedpositive for avian H5N1.
The district’s People’s Committee directedbranches and localities to step up avian-flu preventionmeasures and stamp out outbreaks of the disease, destroying chickensinfected with A/H5N1, and disinfecting poultry areas, to avoid alarge-scale outbreak.
Meanwhile, the central province of Binh Thuanhas taken measures to prevent and combat diseases as well as minimise outbreaksin cattle and poultry until the end of the year.
Veterinary services have disseminatedinformation in the community about the need for preventive measuresand the effects of avian influenza.
Local livestock producers have been asked tostrengthen the implementation of the “Five-No’s”: do not eatfree-range poultry; do not trade in dead poultry; do not eat sick or deadpoultry; do not hide epidemics; and do not throw away infected poultry in theenvironment.
People should immediately report to localofficials if they have detected poultry that is sick or dead for an unknownreason.
The provincial Sub-Department ofAnimal Husbandry and Health plans to coordinate with localities toconduct regular inspections of hygienic conditions at poultry farminghouseholds and large-scale livestock farms.
Checkpoints will be set up to strictlyhandle all cases of illegal transport, trading and slaughteringof poultry illegally imported without a quarantine certificate.
More than 14 million doses of vaccines againstbird flu for poultry and over 177,000 doses of vaccines for cattle havebeen given across the province.
The department has coordinated with localitiesto organise the second stage of an action month on hygiene andenvironmental disinfection with more than 1,900 litres ofantiseptic used to reduce pathogens in the environment.
Thanks to preventive measures, no outbreak ofdangerous diseases has been recorded in the province since the beginning of theyear.
However, some common infectious diseases such ashemorrhoids, cholera and pneumonia have occurred, scattered through Ham Tanand Ham Thuan Bac districts and Phan Thiet city.-VNS/VNA
VNA
