A veterinary worker fumigates a chicken farm (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Department of Animal Healthunder the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has warned of a highrisk of the return of avian influenza in Vietnam after the epidemic was put undercontrol for a long period of time.
The department said one hotbed of A/H5N6 birdflu virus had been reported recently in Dai Ban commune of An Duong district,northern Hai Phong city.
It noted some avian flu strains that haven’tbeen reported in Vietnam such as A/H7N9, A/H5N2 and A/H5N8 may enter thecountry through the transportation, trading and consumption of poultry andpoultry products with obscure origin, especially in northern border provincesand the localities consuming smuggled poultry products.
The department urged localities to take theinitiative in bird flu prevention, crack down on poultry smuggling, and keep aclose watch on local situation in order to timely respond to any outbreak.
Meanwhile, foot-and-mouth and blue-ear diseasesare also likely to break out among livestock that are unvaccinated ortransported to former hotbeds.
The animal health agency called on vulnerablelocalities to augment monitoring, vaccination and control of livestock transportationand slaughtering to minimize risks of disease outbreak and spread.-VNA
VNA
