The northern mountainous province of Bac Kan has become the second locality in Vietnam to declare the end of the local African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.
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
Two animal inspection stations were established on March 20 on the National Highway No 1 section in Nui Thanh district of Quang Nam central province to control pig transportation from northern provinces and cities.
African swine fever (ASF) posed a substantial threat to the pig farming industry although measures have been taken to stop the disease from spreading, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong at the first meeting of the national steering committee for the prevention and control of ASF in Hanoi on March 26.
Two hotbeds of African swine fever virus were discovered in Chau Giang commune, Duy Tien district and Tan Son commune, Kim Bang district in the northern province of Ha Nam on April 3, reported the provincial Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-Department.
The northern province of Hoa Binh has declared no more cases of African swine fever (ASF), becoming the first locality among 23 cities and provinces affected nationwide to get free from ASF.
As of April 10, no new cases of African swine fever (ASF) had been reported in the 12 ASF-outbreak areas over the past 30 days, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
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