Pigs Killed By Highly Toxic Virus: FAO

Blue ear virus spreading

Vice Head of the Veterinary Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hoang Van Nam, said that FAO’s analysis showed that 99% of blue ear viruses in Vietnam were similar to the highly toxic Chinese strain.

Previously, Chinese experts’ testing results revealed that 100% of blue ear virus types in Vietnam (collected in the central province of Khanh Hoa) were similar to the highly toxic virus type in China. If pigs catch these viruses, up to 20% of ill pigs may die compared to only 2% for normal viruses.

According to the Central Veterinary Testing Centre, the genetic sources of the highly toxic viruses are from China but they haven’t discovered how pigs in Vietnam have caught them yet.

To prevent blue ear disease caused by highly toxic viruses, the only method is vaccination combined with veterinary measures. However, only China can produce anti-toxin to combat the toxic blue ear virus at present. This country has 13 vaccine producers but only three big companies produce this kind of serum, and so far none of them have received licences to export this kind of vaccine.

There are three sites with blue ear disease in Vietnam: in the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ca Mau and Lang Son. This disease is developing the most complicatedly in Ca Mau, since the epidemic hit the provincial agricultural breeding centre, which provides breeding pigs for farmers in Ca Mau

Further Reading

- Find out more information on PRRS/Blue Ear by clicking here.

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