Hai Phong city takes action to control African swine fever

Illustrative image (Photo: laodong.vn)

The northern port city of Hai Phong is stepping up solutions to control African swine fever (ASF), the municipal sub-department of animal husbandry and veterinary said on February 23. 

According to the agency, ASF has been detected in Thuy Nguyen district and local competent agencies have zoned off the area to prevent the spread of the virus. 

On February 22, the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked for permission from the Hai Phong People’s Committee to allocate its budget for the fight against the disease. 

Nguyen Dinh Chuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, urged districts to stay vigilant and take measures against ASF.

Meanwhile, local officials have intensified the communication work in an effort to raise public awareness of the disease. 

Apart from Hai Phong, the ASF virus was earlier discovered in the northern provinces of Hung Yen and Thai Binh. 

In response to the detection, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed the culling of all infected pigs and the crucial conduction of a cleaning process in the hotspots and high-risk locations. The transport, slaughtering, and distribution of pork from the ASF-hit areas are under tight monitoring by competent agencies, while mass examinations of all pig farms in these communes will be launched.

ASF is a fatal animal disease affecting pigs and wild boars with up to 100 percent mortality, and subsequently damaging trade and causing global economic losses. The ASF virus does not affect humans. The only known preventative measure is 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