Localities throughout the country are taking concrete measures to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).— Photo zing.vn

The northern province of Lào Cai held an urgent meeting on Wednesday to direct prevention measures.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Thanh Dương asked forces to control the entry of pigs and pork products through border routes, highways, and rivers.

He assigned the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Health, and Sub-department of Market Management to set up inspection teams across nine cities and districts, as well as instructing livestock households to disinfect their breeding facilities.

The southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu has built an ASF prevention plan, focusing on supervision over trade and transport of pigs and pork products.

The southern province of Bến Tre and the northern province of Nam Định have set up inspection stations to control the import of pigs and pork products from other provinces.

Meanwhile, the central province of Hà Tĩnh, where a large source of food and cattle-feed is transported through to other southern provinces, has increased examinations of livestock trade and transport.

The Central Highland province of Đắk Lắk has issued an urgent notice to intensify measures to prevent the disease.

The ASF virus does not affect humans but does cause haemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost always fatal.

There is currently no antidote or vaccine, and the only known preventative measure is a mass cull of infected livestock.

The disease spreads by contact between infected animals and can inflict massive economic damage on farms.

The virus is developing in a complex manner with more than 4,200 infected pigs in seven provinces nationwide being culled so far. — VNS