Though livestock diseases are spreading nationwide, with 10 provinces reporting bird flu outbreaks and seven reporting foot-and-mouth disease, people do not seem to be taking them seriously enough.

Several birds belonging to Nguyen Van Trung had died on February 5 and 8 but he only informed health officials last Saturday.

He had consumed three of the dead birds and treated the others as normal deaths.

After the dead fowls tested positive for bird flu, officials destroyed around 50 of his remaining birds, sprayed disinfectants in Vinh Phuong Commune, and banned people from transporting their chickens out of the area.

In Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta, the situation is worse: farmers do not cooperate with health officials and, instead, hide diseased fowls or throw them into waterways.

Lam Tri Trung, deputy head of the Phuoc Long District animal health office, said local authorities have to keep a careful lookout for the disease and also search for dead fowls to destroy.

The disease has broken out in Phuoc Long and threatens to spread around the neighborhood.

By Thursday, bird flu had hit 20 farms in the district and more than 4,000 birds had been culled.

In neighboring Ca Mau Province, poultry sales has been going on as usual despite a ban order.

Chicken and poultry products are still being sold in large quantities in markets all around the province, including its capital. The Ca Mau Town market management agency has failed to rein in the trade.

Many sellers said they do not care about the disease or understand how dangerous it is.

Six out of nine towns and districts in the province have reported bird flu outbreaks.

Local authorities said: “There is a very high risk the disease will spread further.”

They are considering fining people for selling chickens without a license.

Yet another Mekong Delta province, Hau Giang, reported Thursday it has been hit by bird flu while the northern Ninh Binh Province made the announcement Wednesday after the virus killed 19 fowls in Kim Son District.

Ten provinces hit

The number of provinces reporting outbreaks of the disease have risen to 10: Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh in the north, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Khanh Hoa in the central region, and Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau in the Mekong Delta.

Also Friday the Animal Health Bureau reported that blue ear disease has infected 150 pigs in the central province of Quang Nam and 65 others in Quang Ninh Province’s Yen Hai Commune.

Seven northern and central provinces have reported outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.

Source: TN, VNA