Swine fever outbreak places local food supply at risk
Vietnam has this year detected 514 outbreaks in 28 out of 34 cities and provinces nationwide, the government said in a statement yesterday, adding that the authorities have culled more than 30,000 infected pigs.
'The risk of African swine fever is on a rising trend, negatively affecting the pig farming industry, food supplies and the environment,' the government said.
African swine fever has disrupted the global pork market for years. In the worst outbreak over 2018-19, about half the domestic pig population died in China, the world's biggest producer, causing losses estimated at over US$100bil (RM424.4bil).
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has sent an urgent directive to provinces and government agencies this week to deploy measures to curb the disease in the face of recent outbreaks.
Vietnam in 2023 approved the domestic commercial use of its first homegrown African swine fever vaccines, but officials said the rate of vaccinated pigs remains low.
'Only around 30% of the pigs in my province have been vaccinated,' said an animal health official of Quang Ngai province, where infections have been reported over the past few weeks.
'It's not clear why the rate is low – it could either be the issue of vaccine availability, efficiency or cost,' said another provincial official, who declined to be named as the person is not authorised to speak to the media.
The agriculture ministry's Department of Animal Health didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Calls to AVAC Vietnam JSC, the country's main African swine fever vaccine producer, went unanswered.
AVAC said last month it had sold three million vaccine doses in the domestic market and exported 600,000 doses to the Philippines and Indonesia. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Netanyahu recovers from food poisoning, to rest for three days
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is recovering from food poisoning and will rest at home for the next three days, his office announced on Sunday. The 75-year-old leader fell ill overnight and was diagnosed with intestinal inflammation and dehydration, requiring intravenous fluids. Netanyahu will continue performing his duties remotely while following doctors' orders to recuperate. 'In accordance with his doctors' instructions, the prime minister will rest at home for the next three days and will manage state affairs from there,' his office stated. The Israeli leader has faced previous health challenges, including a pacemaker implantation in 2023 and prostate removal last December following a urinary tract infection diagnosis. His office assured the public that his current condition is being closely monitored. - Reuters
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Quirky China trend shows kids, pets hugging giant winter melons to stay cool at night
A trend in China features kids and pets cuddling with oversized winter melons to keep cool at night. - Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote BEIJING: The scorching summer heat in China has sparked a trend where people hug a giant winter melon while sleeping to find relief from the sweltering temperatures. The topic 'sleeping with a winter melon is cooler than using an air conditioner' has gone viral on mainland social media, with one Chinese platform alone garnering 4.4 million views. Many individuals shared photos of themselves slumbering while clutching these large vegetables, which are comparable in size to a toddler, highlighting their remarkable cooling effects. A resident of northern China's Tianjin municipality, known as Longma, claimed to be among the first to introduce this effective cooling method that ignited the trend. She purchased a 14kg winter melon from the local market for her child, who complained that the summer heat was making it difficult for him to sleep at night. Longma noted that she refrained from using air conditioning in the bedrooms to avoid catching a cold, and saw the 'ancient method' of hugging a winter melon as a viable alternative. Each day, she would gently pat the vegetable to monitor its condition, stating that her winter melon remained in excellent shape after 26 days. Many families have purchased these vegetables for their children and pets, with photos capturing them snugly clinging to the melons during their sleep. - Photo: RedNote Another participant from eastern China's Anhui province admitted she felt foolish purchasing a 21kg winter melon at the market, but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was indeed effective. She mentioned that by keeping the white wax on the melons, they can remain fresh longer. Numerous people have bought these vegetables for their children and pets. Judging by how tightly they cling to the melons while asleep in the videos, it seems to provide significant benefits. This method is also quite economical. One individual reported that her 14kg winter melon cost only 54 yuan (US$7.5). Many have noted they could use the same melon for several days. However, one person cautioned against eating the melon, stating: 'The one people have slept with does not taste good.' It is said that sleeping while hugging a winter melon is an ancient Chinese remedy for cooling down in the summer. The vegetable contains over 95 per cent water, which aids in absorbing heat through skin contact. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also incorporates the vegetable's rind in prescriptions aimed at clearing heat from the body. TCM expert Yang Zufu from the China Recovery Research Centre explained to People's Daily that this method can benefit those unable to use air conditioning, including the elderly, toddlers, and pregnant women. However, individuals with weak spleens and stomachs are advised against pressing their bellies against the vegetable for extended periods, as it may exacerbate symptoms like stomach pain or diarrhoea. Yang recommended that those with sensitivities wrap the melons in towels and position them at a slight distance to minimise side effects. 'Watermelon is also effective, but they're too delicious to resist,' one commenter remarked. 'It stops being funny when you try sleeping with one – it's really useful!' another noted. A third chimed in: 'So that's why they named it winter melon – to bring some winter to the summer.' - South China Morning Post
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
US rejects WHO global pandemic response accord
World Health Organization (WHO) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has rejected an agreement adopted by members of the World Health Organization to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, the government said on Friday. The Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement they had transmitted on Friday the official U.S. rejection of the legally binding pact, which was adopted in Geneva in May after three years of negotiations. The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access. U.S. negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the U.S. - by far the WHO's largest financial backer - from the agency when he took office in January. Its exit means the U.S. would not be bound by the pact. "Developed without adequate public input, these amendments expand the role of the WHO in public health emergencies, create additional authorities for the WHO for shaping pandemic declarations, and promote WHO's ability to facilitate 'equitable access' of health commodities," the U.S. statement said. "Terminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions," said the statement, jointly issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubt about vaccine safety, had slammed WHO in a video address to the Assembly during its vote, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic with the new agreement. Kennedy and Rubio said on Friday that the rejection protects U.S. sovereignty. The pact leaves health policy to national governments and contains nothing that overrides national sovereignty, however. (Reporting by Ahmed AbouleneinEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
