Synchronizing solutions to prevent and control avian influenza

Mr. Vo Thanh Ngoan, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that people in Dong Thâp needed to take the initiative in preventing and controlling avian influenza since the province currently has more than 3.5 million chickens. While being an area that shares a border with Cambodia, Dong Thap has received several reports about cases of A/H5N1 virus infection in humans causing death, so there is a big risk of influenza A/H5N1 appearing in the area.

Dong Thap People's Committee has issued Emergency Dispatch No. 01/CD-UBND on strengthening the prevention and control of avian influenza and directed the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to synchronously deploy many solutions in the province against this disease.

Accordingly, the province's agricultural sector will focus on disseminating information to make people aware and pay attention to vaccination for the chickens, applying biosecurity measures to prevent disease outbreaks in poultry flocks and minimizing damage to farmers.

By March 19, 2023, Dong Thap Sub-Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries had administered influenza A/H5N1 vaccination to nearly 111,000 chickens with first injection, reaching over 17% of the total flock; 2.4 million ducks with first injection, accounting for more than 51% of the total flock; 16,500 chickens with second injection, accounting for 18% of the total flock; over 378,000 ducks with second injection, accounting for approximately 28% of the total flock.

As for sanitation, disinfection and sterilization work, 500 liters of disinfectant are provided to districts and cities in a week. Accumulated from the beginning of the year until now, the province’s agriculture sector has provided 1,540 liters of disinfectants to cleanse the poultry farming environment.

The agriculture sector proactively promotes the work on the distribution of chemicals for sanitation, disinfection and sterilization. Accordingly, from the beginning of the year until now, Dong Thap Sub-Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries has distributed 1,100 liters of Benkovet to poultry farmers.

In order to be proactive in responding to the epidemic, Dong Thap’s agriculture sector has also sent a document of proposal to the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Economic and Infrastructure Divisions of districts and cities. The document states that these units should urge the People's Committees of communes, wards and towns to prepare in terms of human and material resources to proactively respond if the epidemics were to break out, directing the local veterinary staff to strengthen disease surveillance, speed up the vaccination work, and ensure the prevention and control of avian influenza.

According to Mr. Vo Thanh Ngoan, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to strengthen vigilance and resolutely prevent the transportation of smuggled animals and animal products across the border, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Sub-Department of Animal Health Region 7 (Department of Animal Health), has recently organized a mission to survey at border gates and border lines, inspect and remind quarantine officers and forces of their duty at border posts.

At international border gates within Dong Thap’s vicinity, every day there are hundreds of people crossing the border, so border guards and related forces strictly implement control and quarantine work, at the same time dealing with illegal transportation of poultry or animals across the border.

Border guard posts direct checkpoints to strengthen closed inspection activities in order to promptly handle cases of illegal trading of poultry and poultry products across the border. Border patrol forces regularly exchange with forces on the side of Cambodia to gather information on developments of influenza A/H5N1, report to leaders at all levels in the province so that prevention and control work for avian influenza will be issued timely and effectively.

From 2022 to now, Dong Thap has not recorded any outbreak of influenza A/H5N1. However, avian influenza virus circulation is still present in surveillance samples in markets. The prevalence rate is 5.3% in 2020 and 0% in 2021. And in early 2023, virus circulation is recorded in poultry samples sold at the market of My An town and Thap Muoi district (2/24 samples).