Currently, a number of provinces and cities across the country have experienced avian influenza (AI), especially in Ha Tinh province, where A/H5N8 influenza has appeared. To proactively prevent and control A/H5N8, and prevent the disease from spreading in the area, the Department of Agriculture and local authorities are actively implementing many solutions.

According to information from the Veterinary Department of Region III, there are currently 2 AI outbreaks in the region in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces with a total of 1,626 infected and culled poultry. Of which, on July 9, 2021, there was 1 AI A/H5N8 outbreak in Yen Hoa commune, Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh province), causing 1,326 infected poultry.

 Mr. Tran Cong Tam, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, said that AI is an infectious disease that can spread very quickly, especially the virus can infect and cause disease in humans.

The AI virus can live for 35 days in low-temperature cages and 3 months in the feces of infected poultry. Infected poultry have a short incubation period, usually 1-3 days. The death rate of poultry due to the disease is up to 100% of the total flock. Symptoms of AI: poultry walk unsteadily, tremble, are tired, wheeze, have subcutaneous hemorrhage, etc.

Up to now, the province has not recorded any outbreaks of influenza in poultry flocks.

People actively take care of poultry flocks according to the instructions of the professional sector to prevent and control AI.

However, the risk of disease infiltration, outbreak and spread in the coming time is very high due to complex weather conditions in the transitional season combined with the high demand for poultry herd restoration, transportation, slaughter, and consumption. In addition, the number of poultry transported through the temporary quarantine checkpoint in the North of the province is increasing.

In the first 7 months of 2021, hundreds of thousands of poultry were transported through the province, of which more than 98,000 poultry were imported into the province. The number of poultry transported through the province is mainly from the northern provinces, so the risk of disease infiltration is very high.

Meanwhile, the vaccination against AI in the area is still low. The result of the first round of AI vaccination in 2021 was 214,700 doses/2,095,000 doses, reaching 10% of the plan.

Faced with the complicated developments of the AI, functional sectors and local authorities are urgently implementing many measures to prevent and control the disease.

Mr. Tran Van Trung, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Service Center (ASC) of Quang Ninh district, said that the total poultry herd in the district is 250,391, including 28 poultry farms with more than 69,000 birds, the rest are small-scale poultry households. To proactively prevent and control the AI, the center has coordinated with the People's Committees of communes and towns to send veterinary staff to regularly monitor and supervise the disease situation in poultry flocks, in order to have timely and effective handling measures.

Poultry farms, farms, and households proactively disinfect food, farming tools, transport vehicles, and farmers. The ASC has also issued a document with specific instructions on measures to prevent and control Avian Influenza so that localities can propagate and mobilize people to implement them.

According to Mr. Tuong Chi Thanh, Director of the Quang Trach District Service Center, as a locality bordering Ha Tinh province where the AI A/H5N8 epidemic is occurring, the risk of the disease spreading into the area is very high.

To proactively and effectively prevent and control AI, the center has coordinated with local authorities to disseminate synchronous solutions for disease prevention and control; inspect and control the transportation, trading, and consumption of poultry and poultry products to minimize the risk of disease infection in the area; disseminate and guide poultry farmers to strictly apply biosecurity measures, vaccinate poultry flocks; establish rapid response teams to prevent and control the disease.

Livestock households in Quang Luu commune (Quang Trach) proactively vaccinate chickens against AI.

Faced with the complicated developments of AI, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has issued a telegram directing the Department of Agriculture and localities to focus on synchronously implementing solutions to control and prevent AI A/H5N8 and other highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strains.

In particular, sectors and units strengthen monitoring to promptly detect and thoroughly handle cases of poultry positive for the AI virus, newly emerging outbreaks, and prevent widespread spread; declare the epidemic, organize epidemic prevention and control in accordance with regulations; promptly notify the health agency at the same level when detecting outbreaks that are likely to spread to humans.

Localities urgently carry out AI vaccination, ensuring a rate of over 80% of the total flock at risk; regularly review and provide additional vaccination for newly emerging and unvaccinated poultry flocks; instruct poultry farmers to strictly apply biosafety measures, regularly clean and disinfect the farming environment with lime powder, chemicals, etc.

Mr. Tran Cong Tam, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, said that in order to proactively prevent and control AI, minimize infection and death to humans, in the coming time, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine will coordinate with the People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities to drastically implement measures to prevent and control the disease; strictly manage the transportation, trading, business and slaughter of animals in the area; inspect and strictly handle cases of transporting, trading, trading sick animals or intentionally dumping sick animal carcasses into the environment; review and organize additional vaccinations for the first phase of 2021, especially vaccines to prevent diseases for poultry flocks.

According to the Ministry of Health, AI A/H5N8 is a dangerous infectious disease that spreads rapidly and kills a large number of poultry. In particular, the disease can be transmitted to humans. In order to effectively prevent and contain the A/H5N8 epidemic, in addition to the efforts of relevant sectors and agencies, the awareness and cooperation of each citizen is extremely important," said Mr. Tran Cong Tam, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.