The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development asked localities to monitor local pig farms and take samples for testing immediately if they notice any strange symptoms. — Photo danviet.vn

Viet Nam News / HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has urged collaboration including stronger monitoring and preparedness measures to prevent African swine fever from spreading to Việt Nam.

In an urgent message sent to leaders of People’s Committees of cities and provinces, relevant agencies, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường requested them to adopt preventive measures against the disease.

The Department of Animal Health was assigned to work with international organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to catch up with the progress of the disease and collaborate with them on dealing with it.

Cường asked localities to monitor local pig farms and take samples for testing immediately if they notice any strange symptoms. Sales of hog and pork products through border crossings are banned.

Dissemination campaigns should be organised to raise awareness for local residents who won’t take part in the transportation and trade of pigs with unclear origin to prevent the entry and spread of African swine fever, he said.

The authorities must also monitor the local pig farms and take samples for tests immediately if they notice any strange symptoms.

According to the OIE, the first African swine fever case was detected in China on August 1. By August 25, four outbreaks were reported in China with 10,000 pigs being culled. African swine fever has been detected in 12 countries including China, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Finland and South Africa since late 2017. It is a highly contagious disease and the fatality rate is 100 per cent. There is no effective vaccine to protect swine from the disease. — VNS