All Vietnam localities but one infected by African swine fever

By Phan Anh   July 7, 2019 | 10:49 pm PT
All Vietnam localities but one infected by African swine fever
The southern province of Tay Ninh has become the latest in Vietnam to be infected with African swine fever, leaving only Ninh Thuan Province left uninfected. Photo by Shutterstock/FooTToo.
Tay Ninh has become the latest Vietnamese locality to be infected with African swine fever, leaving just one left.

The southern province’s first outbreak was reported Saturday, said the Tay Ninh Farming and Veterinary Department.

A farmer in Thanh Long Commune, Chau Thanh District, reported that 10 of her family’s 16 pigs died abnormally. Tests later showed that her pigs were infected with African swine fever.

The remaining pigs were culled on Sunday to prevent the disease from spreading.

Areas near the location of the outbreak have been sanitized, and checkpoints would be set up to prevent delivery of more infected pigs, local officials said.

With Tay Ninh, 62 of Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces have seen African swine fever outbreaks, including Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta which was infected last week. Only Ninh Thuan in the south-central region has been spared to date.

About 2.83 million pigs have been culled in Vietnam since the disease first spread to the country in February, causing losses worth estimated at over VND3.6 trillion ($155 million).

The disease’s virus is shed in blood, saliva, tears, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and secretions from the animal's genital tract. Pigs can thus get the infection by contact with many different infected sources, mainly other infected pigs, pork and other pig-derived products but also any other contaminated object, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. While the disease is incurable, it does not affect humans.

Data from the World Organization for Animal Health shows that as of June 20, 14 countries and territories were suffering from new or ongoing outbreaks of the disease: Belgium, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, mainland China, Hong Kong, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam and South Africa.

 
 
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