FAO: better farming helps control diseases

At the request of Vietnam, a team of veterinary experts was sent recently to Vietnam by the FAO/OIE Crisis Management Centre for Animal Health to investigate recent deaths among swine in four provinces.

The team said that it appeared that, apart from Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrom (PRRS), there were a number of swine diseases that could be interacting to cause the unusual signs that were observed.

Reduce losses
“Sick pigs can be cured from secondary infections by appropriate use of approved antibiotic injections, and this would greatly reduce the losses,” said team leader Dr Carolyn Benigno.

Both the FAO and Vietnam urged the international community to support future disease investigation and laboratory work and to undertake a communication campaign for farmers, para-veterinarians, and the public.

Samples
Samples have been sent to an international laboratory in the US for confirmation and for sequencing of the strain to determine the type of the virus and identify the appropriate vaccine.

Preliminary tests so far tested negative for African Swine Fever (ASF), Classical Swine Fever (CSF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

Only last month, Vietnam last month reported at least two human deaths and more than 20 human cases of another pig-borne disease, Streptococcus Suis.

Related websites:
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization
• World Organization for Animal Health

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