August 3, 2007

 

Blue ear outbreak prompts crisis meeting in Ho Chi Minh

 

 

The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Board for Disease Control called for an urgent meeting yesterday in the wake of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Virus, commonly known as blue ear disease, which is devastating swine farms in some regions.

 

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Animal Health has urged pig farmers not to increase their population until the disease wanes down and should slaughter the pigs if affected. Its meat could be frozen and processed thereafter.

 

Nguyen Phuoc Thao, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, advised that vaccination against infectious diseases should be stepped up.

 

To deal with a possible epidemic actively, he said, those responsible for controlling the disease must be determined to kill all pigs with blue ear so that it cannot spread.

 

Thao said illegal slaughterhouses abound around the city, causing further spread of the disease.

 

Inspectors need a warrant before searching a farm or business premises, but this has been time-consuming due to numerous paperwork.

 

Moreover, some farmers are banking on big profits from the reduced supply of pork, but only if their animals are lucky enough not to contract the disease.

 

At the local level, authorities in Binh Chanh District are beefing up their monitoring of the streets and rivers and urging pork producers to momentarily halt breeding of pigs.

 

In Long An Province on Monday (July 30), inspectors found a diseased pig among four that had just been taken to a slaughterhouse in Can Giuoc District.

 

They killed all four pigs immediately and the local animal health department castigated a local vet for failing to spot the sick animal.

 

The disease seems to be a lesser problem in Central Vietnam.

 

Quang Nam's Department of Animal Health says only 2,119 diseased pigs have been found in the province, and only in four districts - Duy Xuyen, Dien Ban, Que Son and Thang Binh.

 

In nearby Da Nang, vets are treating 180 pigs with blue ear. Cao Xuan Thai, who heads the coastal city's Department of Animal Health, says authorities and farmers have worked well to control the disease.