Destroying all foot and mouth disease is not easy

Deputy Director of Animal Health Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Dau Ngoc Hao said that the destruction of all animals with foot and mouth disease (FMD) is very difficult to implement, especially when there is a lack of financial support mechanisms for Livestock households have sick cattle nationwide.

Below is his discussion with VietNamNet about the current and long-term solutions for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on cattle, which is spreading today.

This year, the epidemic is more serious

- Sir, it is clear that the current rate of FMD spread is very fast in buffaloes, cows and pigs all over the country?

- Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao: D Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao: "The most important measure now is to prohibit transporting sick animals . "(Photo: VNN) It is true that the speed of spreading this disease is very fast, being classified by the world as a pandemic. Therefore, the application of measures should also be strong. For example, countries that detect outbreaks of FMD apply measures to destroy all cattle.

However, because Vietnam has financial difficulties, not all localities can implement this measure. Or when epidemics are few, small happens, we cannot destroy them, so when the disease spreads on a large scale, the method of total destruction is very difficult. We are urgently drafting new regulations on FMD prevention as well as proposing support mechanisms to apply uniformly throughout the country.

I have just learned that Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee has just urgently paid VND 6 billion for FMD prevention and control in the province. Accordingly, the first new FMD outbreaks in the outbreak must be supported with 200,000 - 1.5 million VND / head; support the cost of destruction according to the level of 50,000 VND / small cattle and 200,000 VND / large cattle. In the short term, the province also supports 100% of drug costs and vaccination for livestock of poor households and ethnic minority households.

- But why is this outbreak so strong this year?

- Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao : The FMD epidemic this year is really more serious. Causes of pathogens exist in cattle.

So far, we have also implemented measures such as destroying, focusing on zoning, prohibiting transportation and vaccination. However, because the measures are not synchronized, there are places to work, there are places where it cannot be done, so the animals that keep to cure are those who carry the strains to spread the disease. When they are transported to other places or for breeding, it is easy to cause widespread disease, creating new epidemic areas.

In addition, smuggling across the border still exists, carrying uncontrollable pathogens. It is the transportation of cattle between one region and another in the country, especially cattle that have not been vaccinated, which is also responsible for the disease.

On the other hand, FMD is also cyclical. Within 3 - 5 years, there was a outbreak of outbreaks because the pathogen survived, until some time it recurred.

From the beginning of the year until now, there have been 154 districts and 433 communes in 36 provinces detected with buffaloes, cows and pigs infected with FMD. The total number of infected buffaloes and cows was 26 thousand, 10 thousand pigs and 47 goats.

- As you said, is it clear that localities are facing difficulties in compensation work, especially in terms of funding to support farmers whose animals are forced to destroy?

- Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao: Actually, compensation has been included in the regulations on support policies, but in fact depends much on the locality. Not all localities have funds available to support immediately. Besides, assessing the value of animals and funding sometimes is not timely or low support is also the cause of people disagree, because they feel disadvantaged.

Avoid eating meat with diseases

- So what is the urgent measure to prevent the current disease, sir? What recommendations does the Department of Animal Health recommend to people with cattle?

- Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao: B A pig is about to die in Binh Hoa A hamlet, Song Binh commune, Cho Gao district, Tien Giang province (Photo: VNN) The urgent solution is still the outbreak of the outbreak. For localities that can be destroyed, it is encouraged to do so, especially for pigs. For cattle and buffaloes, localize and implement vaccination and treatment. If the number of buffaloes and cows is reduced, it should be destroyed. Most importantly, do not transport livestock from one place to another. This must be a mandatory measure, not procrastinate.

- In theory, the disease does not spread to humans, but when we eat the meat, is it affected?

- Mr. Dau Ngoc Hao: The biggest impact of this epidemic, if in severe cases, is to kill animals. Second, make animal production decrease and more importantly, it excretes the virus, spreading the disease.

In the world, countries want to pay for this disease. Vietnam is one of the members of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), so it must follow. OIE listed this disease as a particularly important pandemic, so they introduced strict regulations. In those countries with this epidemic, the sale of livestock products is difficult, even other products are affected.

For people, in general, it is not good to eat all kinds of cattle and poultry. While FMD is not the same as bird flu, it can be fatal, but if we eat products with diseases it is not obvious. The best measure is to destroy, not slaughter, trade and transport.

- Thank you Sir!

Ha Yen (done)