The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will publicise a ban on leech and yellow snail breeding this week.

The decision was announced by Nguyen Huy Dien, director of the ministry's Aquaculture Department, in a press meeting on Thursday following increasing concerns over the threat to public health posed by people wanting to make a profit from raising leeches.

The ministry asked city and provincial departments of agriculture and rural development to raise public awareness about the health threats associated with leeches and yellow snails and carry out inspections to strictly sanction anybody caught breeding the animals.

A growing number of Vietnamese people started raising leeches to be sold to China for a quick profit. Some people who sell leeches, which are sometimes used for medical treatments to bleed patients or to eat away putrid flesh from a wound, can earn millions of dong although experts warned that leech breeding could have serious consequences.

Dien said leeches multiplied quickly and were difficult to kill. The only way to kill a leech was to soak them in alcohol and then burn, said Dien.

However, some with household farms said they intended to raise leeches despite the risks, as they stand to make a substantial profit.

Tran Thu Thuy, from the northern port city of Hai Phong, said Chinese traders asked her to supply up to 500kg of leeches.

"When we cannot catch any more leeches in the wild, we raise them for sale," she said.

Nguyen Thi Ly, from the northern province of Hai Duong, also said she was planning to raise leeches if her Chinese customers confirmed long-term demand.

"I can sell them for VND1.5-2 million (US$71-95) per kilo," she said.

The Viet Nam Oriental Medicine Association said that leeches could help dissolve clotted blood, bruises and swelling. Leeches can also be used to make medicine to treat arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

In modern medicine, leeches can be dried and mixed with other medicines to cure blood clots.

However, Tran Van Quang, a member of the association, warned that medicine made from leech should be made carefully, otherwise it may be harmful to a person's health.

A report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in April found that yellow snails were a costly pest in Viet Nam, destroying more than 200,000ha of rice on average each year.

VNS