A number of localities reconsolidating animal health system

The risk of pandemic breakouts in cattle is increasing

On January 19, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien of MARD attends a Veterinary Division session to finalize the 2022 implementation plan.

According to the Department of Animal Health, the risk of dangerous epidemics spreading among livestock between Tet and the start of 2022 is extremely high.

The reason for this is that the overall number of cattle and poultry herds is expected to continue growing in the final months of the year, particularly around the Lunar New Year, while small-scale livestock production continues to dominate; the percentage of vaccinated cattle and poultry remains low.

Mr. Nguyen Van Long, deputy director of the Department of Animal Health, said that infections travel rapidly and widely, while others persist in the environment for an extended period of time without treatment or vaccine, such as African Swine Fever or Lumpy Skin Disease.

Unfavorable weather, seasonal fluctuations, wet and rainy weather... all contribute to the development and spread of infections.

On seafood, extensive farming practices, traditional and uncontrolled farming continue to be popular; aquaculture infrastructure has not been synchronized and does not meet the requirements for safe production; quarantine of aquatic breeds produced in the province has been lax in some areas. Numerous harmful infections circulate in aquaculture environments; environmental variables such as temperature, salinity, and rapidly changing pH all have an effect on aquatic animal health, disease susceptibility, and ideal circumstances for pathogen development and transmission.

Mr. Nguyen Van Long said that in the coming time, the agency would closely monitor epidemic situations in areas, particularly those involving severe illnesses such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, ASF, and blue ear, LSD, and rabies, among others. Simultaneously, it will continue to promote scientific research and domestic production of critical vaccines in order to achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine sources...

Potential of producing a preventative vaccination series

Mr. Ngo Van Bac, director of the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Center, shared that in addition to animal health diagnostics, the center's mission includes culturing, isolating, and sequencing genes for dangerous viruses such as avian influenza H5N1, H5N6, and H5N8 in order to track the virus's evolution, make forecasts, and advise on epidemic response strategies at the highest level. Simultaneously, operating as a testing and evaluation facility for vaccination compatibility with circulating viral strains.

Additionally, the center will monitor worldwide information and scientific news on dangerous illnesses circulating across the globe and in Vietnam, such as H5N7, cholera on small animals, mad cow disease, and certain diseases yet to be found on shrimp in Vietnam. "We will prepare the necessary means and techniques to quickly identify and test for indications, enabling us to take appropriate reaction steps," Bac added.

According to Mr. Ta Hoang Long, director of the Central Venetary Medicine Control Center I, the center will open the biosafety level III laboratory in March 2022 if all requirements are met, assisting the Center in evaluating vaccines against dangerous diseases such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, and rabies.

Simultaneously, enhancing molecular biological analysis in order to contribute to the conservation of novel harmful bacteria in animals, consequently enabling research and vaccine manufacturing units.

Mr. Ta Hoang Long said that the facility has finished testing for ASF vaccinations manufactured by Navetco and Avac Vietnam.

Concerning avian influenza vaccines, the center is currently evaluating vaccines against H5N6 and H5N8, has completed testing of H5N8 vaccines, and the Council met and evaluated the positive results on chickens so that a vaccine capable of preventing disease is available in the near future if a strain of H5N8 virus appears and spreads.

The Center has finished testing and is presently compiling the testing dossier for Avac Vietnam's VDNC vaccine, which it will submit to the Council in the near future. Concerning the Navetco Company's study of the VDNC vaccine, the Central Veterinary Drug Testing Center I is conducting the experiment, which is slated to conclude in April 2022.

Numerous localities have completed the reconsolidation of their animal health systems

Mr. Pham Van Dong, head of the Department of Animal Health, emphasized that the animal health industry would face significant challenges in 2021. Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien has issued extremely strict directives to the sector, particularly on the task of system strengthening.

As a result, numerous Politburo, Secretariat, National Assembly Party Committee, and most recently, Prime Minister's Project 414 have recommended to ministries, branches, and localities maintaining and consolidating the Department of Animal Health system at the central, provincial, and district levels. Numerous provinces and towns have recently separated the veterinary system from the agriculture service center to avoid disruptions.

In concluding the conference, Deputy Minister of MARD Phung Duc Tien emphasized that while the Prime Minister's Decision 414 approving the Scheme to strengthen the capacity of the system of specialized veterinary management agencies at all levels for the period 2021 - 2030 is critical, if Decision 414 remains a document, it will not be implemented nationwide.

"As a result, when I visit provinces, I always discuss legal documents and Party policies, emphasizing that without Prime Minister's Decision 414, there would be no veterinary system, epidemiology, disease prevention, food safety, trade promotion, or export of livestock and aquatic products, and the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture would be unable to train 600-1,000 veterinary doctors each year," Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien explained.

In 2022, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien urged the whole veterinary sector to continue proactively and aggressively adopting solutions to prevent and manage animal illnesses, as well as developing precise strategies for each task to safeguard the animals' health. The cattle and aquaculture industries' outcomes. Simultaneously, continue to assist enterprises in establishing disease-free facilities, promoting commerce, and expanding export markets for animal products, among others.