Localities warned against new bird flu outbreaks

There will be a high risk of fresh bird flu outbreaks from now till the end of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) warns.

The epidemic has recurred in several cities and provinces in the northern and north-central regions due to cross-border smuggling of chicken, said Diep Kinh Tan, MARD Deputy Minister at a conference in Hanoi on August 21.

Bird flu outbreaks have been reported in Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh provinces and Haiphong city. More than 140,000 chickens, ducks, and other birds have been culled.

About 100,000 birds are illegally imported into Vietnam every week via border provinces.

Tougher measures are needed to control the transportation of poultry though 90 percent of illegal poultry imports have been prevented over the past 10 days, Tan said.  

Controlling the import of poultry into northern border provinces is an effective measure to stop the disease from spreading, he said.

He also raised concerns about the protection level of the bird flu vaccine for the virus strain in the northern region, which stands at 60-70 percent.

Meanwhile, blue ear pig disease is spreading quickly in Dak Lak and Nghe An provinces in the central region, and Cao Bang province in the north. Notably, 14 out of 15 districts in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak have been affected.

Tan asked the Animal Health Department to dispatch inspection missions to localities to quarantine and contain the disease immediately.

The MARD has supplied 70,000 doses of vaccine against blue ear pig disease.

Smuggled toys seized in shipment from China

The Ha Noi Market Watch team seized 2,500 toy drums illegally imported from China earlier this week.

Earlier, inspectors also seized 1,600kg of jelly sweets made in China on Chuong Duong Street.

Local authorities said they would strengthen measures to stop illegally imported toys and food into the market with the new school year and festival approaching.

Rare monkey released back into forest

A northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina) was released on Tuesday in a forest in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

A local man from Bac Ha District had been illegally keeping the 2.5kg animal, which has a short tail and golden brown fur, as a pet.

Northern pig-tailed macaques are listed as a rare and endangered species.

Capital city seeks to upgrade floodworks

The Ha Noi People's Committee has asked the Government to provide US$95 million for urgent upgrade work to the city's dykes and irrigation infrastructure.

The work is expected to stop bank erosion and landslides along the Hong (Red), Da and Duong rivers, and prevent flooding during the rainy season.

Promoting the elderly’s interests

The Vietnam Elderly Association held a workshop in Hanoi on August 22 to review its supervision of law enforcement for the elderly.

Following the National Assembly’s approval of the Law on the Elderly in 2009, the Government and ministries have introduced a number of policies for social welfare beneficiaries, including the elderly. Among them are policies on social welfare, medical insurance, and financial support for poor elderly.

The association developed a project to enhance its engagement and supervision in implementing laws and policies for the elderly, which was carried out in Phu Tho, Quang Tri, Binh Thuan and Ca Mau provinces in 2010-2011.

In order to bring the elderly–targeted laws and policies to life, workshop delegates stressed the need to enhance public engagement and monitoring of these laws and policies, including the elderly associations at the grassroots level.

VNN/VOV/VNS