Bird flu recurrence in the Mekong Delta: The epidemic is expanding!

The avian influenza epidemic is complicated and has a recurring trend in the Mekong Delta. Facing this situation, on December 28, MARD organized a conference to urgently implement measures to prevent and control avian influenza in the Mekong Delta region.

The epidemic spreads to 3 provinces .

According to the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention and Control (CGC), there are 6 communes and wards in 4 districts and cities in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces recurring CGC. The total number of dead and culled poultry in the area was 9,070, of which 7,929 ducks.

The situation is getting worse when the date of December 28, Mr. Nguyen Hien Trung - Director of Veterinary Department of Hau Giang Province officially announced: Hau Giang has relapsed CGC service in Xa Phien and Luong Tam communes of Long My district. with 1,100 numbers.

Meanwhile, in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu, there have been mass deaths of poultry (mainly ducks) in recent 3 days with symptoms of CGC infection in 4 communes including: Ly Van Lam commune (Ca Mau city). ) and Nguyen Kep commune (U Minh and Ca Mau districts); Minh Dieu commune (Hoa Binh district) and Ninh Quoi commune (Hong Dan and Bac Lieu districts).

Do not manage re-ducks, run the field

Dead ducks throw away rivers in An Xuyen commune, Ca Mau city.
(Photo: SGGP)

While the disease situation is going badly, people are still subjective, lack of sense of cooperation, slow declaration when detecting dead poultry. Moreover, even in the area where the outbreak is occurring, there is still a situation where people release ducks to run their fields and disperse their flocks. It is not good to control and supervise transportation and purchase in many places; The situation of dead poultry removal on the canal is much .

The problem is that provinces and cities in the region all report high vaccination rates, over 90%, even exceed 100% (because of the number of birds transferred from other places) but the flu still recurs. . And all relapse places are on illegal re-flock birds, not vaccinated.

The veterinary sector of the provinces and cities in the region all acknowledged with the current weak, weak, and thin forces (each commune has only 1 veterinarian, and even no one), it is impossible to control poultry status. re-flock.

And no locality knows exactly the number of re-birds in the present time. Meanwhile, local authorities at commune and hamlet levels are loose. This is a major risk leading to a widespread recurrence of CGC outbreaks. Mr. Dinh Cong Than, Director of the Veterinary Department in Kien Giang province said: 'Only in the second vaccination, Kien Giang has 1 million birds re-flock, mainly ducks.

From November 15 until now, at least 500,000 children have been re-flocked. The most common is the small re-population in rural areas. On December 27, we forced to destroy 1,000 newly hatched ducks and 10,000 prepared duck eggs. But this is just the surface '. The hatcheries hatching ducklings are dealing with the functional industry by allowing the hamlet to hatch and then hand it to farmers to bring home to wait for hatching (24 hours) and then raise.

Emergency prevention

Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said: 'Last time, we still have many errors in the stages of vaccination, propaganda, supervision and management . The risk of widespread epidemics as in 2003 is very big. Recurring outbreaks can be spread or spontaneous from the disease outbreak of old outbreaks'.

The National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of CGC especially noted: The immediate problem is that localities must quickly and reliably relieve the recurring outbreaks, definitely not to spread pathogens. On the other hand, 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have to make emergency vaccinations in re-flock or un-vaccinated poultry flocks.

MARD prioritizes vaccination for the Mekong Delta before January 1, 2007. The Mekong Delta must urgently implement a large-scale antiseptic clean-up campaign, paying special attention to high-risk areas, breeding areas and buying and selling poultry slaughtering. The process of transporting, buying and selling slaughtering and consuming poultry must be strictly managed. Especially strictly handle the situation of re-flock right from the hatchery, grazing ducks running from one place to another .

BINH DAI