Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Bird flu batters the south; pig disease continues to spread
(19-07-2007)
DONG THAP ? Bird flu has hit the southern province of Dong Thap for the second time this year, according to Viet Nam?s Animal Health Department.
The province, which was declared free of the virus several weeks ago, reported fresh outbreaks in Tan Hoi Trung Commune in Cao Lanh District, said department officials yesterday.
Tests confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain was responsible for killing 120 chickens on four farms. Local veterinarians have slaughtered the remaining 280 birds and disinfected the sites.
Officials were worried because these chickens were already vaccinated against the virus, said provincial authorities. They are currently conducting an investigation to find out whether the birds were given a faulty vaccine or were perhaps missed.
Another commune in the northern province of Dien Bien also reported a new outbreak of bird flu on Monday, despite the fact the area was not considered a high-risk region, said Hoang Van Nam, deputy head of the department.
Bird flu was responsible for the deaths of 120 ducks in Noong Het Commune, located in Dien Bien District. The remaining ducks were slaughtered and the farm was sprayed to prevent the virus? return, said department officials.
With fresh outbreaks in Dong Thap, the number of bird flu-infected provinces remains at six, with Nghe An Province the latest removed from the list.
In addition, Bac Giang, Thai Binh and Ca Mau Provinces are also well on their way to clearing their names as they approach the 21-day period without a fresh occurrence of the virus. At a meeting with the National Steering Committee for Avian Flu Control and Prevention on Tuesday in Ha Noi, delegates discussed the importance of vaccinating all poultry.
Tony Forman, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in the country, said it was an important way to fight bird flu in Viet Nam.
The FAO recommended that poultry farmers comply with department regulations on vaccinating their flocks and closely monitor the illegal trafficking of waterfowl.
The organisation commended the Government for its recent orders to close egg hatcheries and slaughterhouses that fail to meet food safety and sanitation standards.
Pig disease
Almost 100 more pigs died in the central province of Quang Nam from an outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) on Tuesday. The death toll is now 900 since late June, according to department heads.
The disease, which causes high fevers, respiratory problems as well as constipation and diarrhoea in pigs, has spread to 47 communes. Nearly 18,000 pigs have been infected.
They blame the outbreak on the slow reaction of provincial authorities who reported the problem weeks after it appeared.
"The late notification of the disease and slow reactions by the provincial authorities has caused the outbreak to spread quickly and made the disease difficult to control now," said Bui Quang Anh, the department?s director.
Anh said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) had supported the province in the fight against the disease by providing medicines, vaccines and human resources.
To fight the PRRS, the department have asked the province to take urgent measures, including slaughtering critically sick pigs, establishing local quarantine stations, vaccinating healthy pigs, sanitising farms and raising public awareness on the disease to prevent farmers from transporting or selling infected pigs at lower prices.
MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat also sent an official message to cities and provinces nationwide urging communities to make fighting the disease?s spread a priority last Sunday.
Experts said the disease could not be transmitted to humans.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01AGR190707
(19-07-2007)
DONG THAP ? Bird flu has hit the southern province of Dong Thap for the second time this year, according to Viet Nam?s Animal Health Department.
The province, which was declared free of the virus several weeks ago, reported fresh outbreaks in Tan Hoi Trung Commune in Cao Lanh District, said department officials yesterday.
Tests confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain was responsible for killing 120 chickens on four farms. Local veterinarians have slaughtered the remaining 280 birds and disinfected the sites.
Officials were worried because these chickens were already vaccinated against the virus, said provincial authorities. They are currently conducting an investigation to find out whether the birds were given a faulty vaccine or were perhaps missed.
Another commune in the northern province of Dien Bien also reported a new outbreak of bird flu on Monday, despite the fact the area was not considered a high-risk region, said Hoang Van Nam, deputy head of the department.
Bird flu was responsible for the deaths of 120 ducks in Noong Het Commune, located in Dien Bien District. The remaining ducks were slaughtered and the farm was sprayed to prevent the virus? return, said department officials.
With fresh outbreaks in Dong Thap, the number of bird flu-infected provinces remains at six, with Nghe An Province the latest removed from the list.
In addition, Bac Giang, Thai Binh and Ca Mau Provinces are also well on their way to clearing their names as they approach the 21-day period without a fresh occurrence of the virus. At a meeting with the National Steering Committee for Avian Flu Control and Prevention on Tuesday in Ha Noi, delegates discussed the importance of vaccinating all poultry.
Tony Forman, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in the country, said it was an important way to fight bird flu in Viet Nam.
The FAO recommended that poultry farmers comply with department regulations on vaccinating their flocks and closely monitor the illegal trafficking of waterfowl.
The organisation commended the Government for its recent orders to close egg hatcheries and slaughterhouses that fail to meet food safety and sanitation standards.
Pig disease
Almost 100 more pigs died in the central province of Quang Nam from an outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) on Tuesday. The death toll is now 900 since late June, according to department heads.
The disease, which causes high fevers, respiratory problems as well as constipation and diarrhoea in pigs, has spread to 47 communes. Nearly 18,000 pigs have been infected.
They blame the outbreak on the slow reaction of provincial authorities who reported the problem weeks after it appeared.
"The late notification of the disease and slow reactions by the provincial authorities has caused the outbreak to spread quickly and made the disease difficult to control now," said Bui Quang Anh, the department?s director.
Anh said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) had supported the province in the fight against the disease by providing medicines, vaccines and human resources.
To fight the PRRS, the department have asked the province to take urgent measures, including slaughtering critically sick pigs, establishing local quarantine stations, vaccinating healthy pigs, sanitising farms and raising public awareness on the disease to prevent farmers from transporting or selling infected pigs at lower prices.
MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat also sent an official message to cities and provinces nationwide urging communities to make fighting the disease?s spread a priority last Sunday.
Experts said the disease could not be transmitted to humans.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01AGR190707