Bac Giang focuses on poultry protection given bird flu risk

Updated: 15:27, 08/03/2017

(BGO) – People and authorities from Bac Giang city and districts are implementing measures to prevent A/H7N9 avian influenza.

Locals in Xuan Luong commune (Yen The) sprinkling powdered lime around breeding areas to prevent the virus

Each local is a vet

The household of Nguyen Tien Manh, in Rung Dai village, Tam Tien commune, Yen The district, is raising 1,000 chickens and sells an average of 3,000 a week. Every year, Manh earns more than 100 million VND from selling chickens. Periodically, he uses lime to sterilise breeding facilities and keep the chicken food and water clean. He said “normally I spray sterilisers once a fortnight, but now I spray iodine twice per week due to the wet weather.”

Similarly, the household of Nguyen Van Truyen from Lang Duoi village, Xuan Luong commune, Yen The district, is raising more than 1,000 chickens. Truyen’s 25-day-old chickens are fully vaccinated and supplemented with minerals to increase their resistance, making for healthy chickens.

H7N9 virus is found in poultry and waterfowl, but does not affect the animals. It’s only harmful when transferred to humans. Therefore, when chickens and ducks are infected with this virus, there are no symptoms. The only way to detect the virus is testing. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the H7N9 virus in poultry and waterfowl.

Source: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Yen The has the biggest flock of chickens in the province with over 3 million. If the district is hit by outbreaks, it will suffer heavy economic losses. Local residents are deeply aware of this and with chickens a main source of their income, there is high vigilance to prevent the virus.

Inspecting the prevention of the virus in Yen The district on March 6, Head of the Animal Husbandry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Thanh Van said “Local breeders are very proactive in preventing the virus outbreaks, they do not wait for State support. Each local is like a vet who fully understands prevention processes and strictly follows it.”

To help locals sell chickens, the district’s veterinary station has dispatched officials to inspect the prevention of the virus. The People’s Committee has also spent more than 100 million VND from the local budget to provide communes with iodine to stop the influenza. The chemical was sprayed at breeding facilities and used to sterilise animal husbandry tools. Communes in the district sprinkled two tonnes of powered lime in public locations, while farmers abided by animal biosafety procedures.

Synchronous prevention

Locals in districts with big poultry herds such as Tan Yen, Viet Yen, Hiep Hoa, Lang Giang, and Yen Dung are taking measures to prevent the bird flu virus. For example, the household of Nguyen Van Tuan from Voi village, Quynh Son commune (Yen Dung) regularly sprays biological products on breeding facilities. People in the breeding area must wear protective clothing and walk through a mixture of powdered lime and iodine. Meanwhile, in Lang Giang district, neighbouring Lang Son province, 11 out of the 24 communes and towns are implementing disinfection by sprinkling powdered lime in public places and poultry trade stations. The district People’s Committee plans to buy over three tonnes of chemicals for sterilisation.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, no H7N9 virus has been recorded nationwide. Still, it is no less essential to tighten the prevention of the virus. The most important task at present is tackling the illegal transport of poultry from China. From the beginning of March, the province detected and handled two cases trafficking thousands of pigeons, chickens and breeding ducks from China via National Road 1 in Voi town (Lang Giang).

Deputy head of the interdisciplinary inspection team from the provincial animal epidemic prevention department Vu Quoc Hung said “the traffickers used sophisticated tricks, so local police had to patiently follow and arrest the illegal traders”. The provincial sub-department of market management directed forces to keep 24-hour watch to prevent poultry and poultry product smuggling, especially in districts neighouring Lang Son province, such as Yen The, Lang Giang, and Son Dong and on provincial and national highways. All districts and Bac Giang city are also implementing monthly sterilisation in March according to the direction of the provincial People’s Committee.

Trinh Lan