More pigs infected with African swine fever have been being put down as the disease continues to hit pork producers in Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), as well as other relevant agencies, to implement measures to stop the spread of the disease, Viet Nam News reported.
Dung also asked government bodies to provide timely intelligence to pig farmers and to help people whose pigs had been infected. An emergency meeting was held on February 28 to discuss measures that will help curb the spread. An official order to carry out prompt measures was subsequently issued.
According to Agriculture Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, the disease was found in 20 communes of 13 districts stretching through the four provinces of Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Thanh How and Ha Nam. About 2,350 pigs have been culled so far.
Nguyen Xuan Cuong, the MARD minister, said the disease does not affect humans and poultry, but was lethal to pigs and there were no vaccinations for it. Officials in border areas have been urged to tighten controls on the movement and trading of pigs and products to help alleviate the epidemic.