Thursday, May 20, 2010

Blue ear virus appears in HCM City

Last update 21:02, Thursday, 20/05/2010 (GMT+7)
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VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City Veterinary Bureau has tested 32 pork samples collected from local farms to find four positive with blue ear virus. 17 other samples collected from pork brought to the city from neighbouring provinces are also test positive for the disease.

Blue-ear disease spreads in northern, central regions

The bureau’s representative said that the city is facing high risk from blue ear pandemic, which is a reproductive respiratory disease highly contagious to swine.

Many pork samples collected from other southern provinces like Long An, Tay Ninh and Dong Nai have also tested positive for blue ear virus.

The National Veterinary Agency reported that blue ear is spreading very quickly in the country. Fifteen provinces in the northern and central regions have had over 50,000 blue-ear pigs and at least four people have caught disease from sick pigs.

The agency urged localities to introduce stricter measures to prevent the pandemic from spreading by disinfecting breeding facilities and vaccinating every pig against the disease.

Pork shortages may plague domestic market soon after a large number of farmers stopped raising pigs in response to the blue ear outbreak that has been hitting the country's northern provinces.

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