Blue Ear Disease Still Spreading

VIET NAM - Porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome (PRRS; Blue Ear disease) is spreading in the northern and central regions of the country.

5 May 2010

3 minute read

Blue-ear pig disease had spread to Ha Noi and 10 northern and central provinces with more than 50,000 pigs infected by the virus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said yesterday (4 May).

According to an official source, the infected provinces include Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Lang Son and most recently, Nghe An.

Hoang Van Nam, director of the ministry's Animal Health Department said that the localities had continued to discover infected pigs, especially in the cities and provinces of Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Ha Nam, Lang Son and Nghe An.

Mr Nam said that the epidemic was at high risk of spreading to other northern and central areas because the quarantine stations set up in localities had proved ineffective.

Provinces still free from the blue-ear pig virus had already established quarantine stations in an attempt to prevent infected pigs being transported to their localities, he said.

Pham Thanh Binh, head of the Animal Health Unit, central Ha Tinh Province, said the areas was still free from the virus, but nearly 100 infected pigs had been seized at the province's quarantine stations while being transported between Bac Giang and Ha Tinh provinces.

Mr Nam said that heads of provincial-level animal health units had to take responsibility and be open to disciplinary action if infected pigs get through the quarantine stations.

The central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien - Hue should stay focused on checking pigs transported in their areas, he said.

Minister Cao Duc Phat asked the provinces to take drastic preventative measures and entrusted the specific tasks to the relevant authorities at a grassroots level to help people incinerate infected pigs and decontaminate surrounding areas.

With more than 2,000 pigs affected by the blue-ear virus, Ha Noi's Animal Health Unit started their contamination activities to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as establishing mobile inspection teams at quarantine stations and pig farms.

The ministry yesterday also announced that the two central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Ngai were still suffering from cases of bird flu, in which more than 5,000 poultry had been incinerated.