April 11, 2008

Vietnam to spend US$7.4 million to stamp out blue ear disease

The Vietnamese government said it would dole out VND120 billion (US$7.4 million) as an aid to provinces affected by blue ear disease (PRRS).

Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai announced the fund during his meeting in Hanoi on April 10 with representatives of blue ear disease-hit provinces and concerned ministries.

The budget would be VND70 billion (US$4.3 million) for Thanh Hoa province, VND25 billion (US$1.5 million) for Ha Tinh province, VND15 billion (US$930,809) for Nghe An province and VND10 billion for Quang Nam province.

Furthermore, the government pledged support to farmers with infected pigs by giving VND25,000 (US$1.55) per kilogramme of pig.

Ministries and branches of the government were urged to increase the monitoring of disease developments and the management of the market.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will immediately import 100,000 doses of vaccine for pigs bred near the affected areas.

As of Thursday, nearly 82,000 pigs in Vietnam's two central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh and northern Thanh Hoa province have been infected with the blue ear pig disease.

The disease was first recognized in the US in the mid 1980s and is now present in most pig producing countries.

The symptoms include reproductive failure, pneumonia and increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infection.