African swine fever outbreaks intensify in Vietnam
HANOI: Vietnam has been hit by an increasing number of outbreaks of African swine fever, with the number of infected pigs more than tripling in two weeks, state media said yesterday.
The country has detected 972 African swine fever outbreaks this year, up from 514 reported up to the middle of last month, the Tien Phong newspaper reported.
The number of infected pigs has risen to more than 100,000 from 30,000 over the same period, the paper said, citing Vietnam's Agriculture Ministry.
The infected pigs have died or been culled.
"ASF has broken out on a very large scale across the country, seriously affecting the livestock industry, especially the supply of pork," Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam chairman Nguyen Xuan Duong was quoted as saying.
He added that no province is safe from the disease.
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$100 billion.
The outbreaks in Vietnam last month prompted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to send an urgent directive to provinces and government agencies to deploy measures to curb the disease.
Though Vietnam was the first country reportedly to have developed an African swine fever vaccine that has been in commercial use since 2023, officials said the vaccination rate was low due to concerns about costs and efficiency.
"It is just a supporting tool that can't replace basic prevention measures," Duong said.
AVAC Vietnam JSC, the country's main African swine fever vaccine producer, didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Ozempic maker's US$4.1bil profit hit by copycat rivals
COPENHAGEN: Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk posted a sharp rise in second-quarter net profit Wednesday, but rising competition is weighing on sales of its diabetes and obesity treatments Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States. The group reported a net profit of 26.5 billion kroner (US$4.1 billion), a 32 per cent increase from the same period last year, while sales increased by 18 per cent to 76 billion kroner. The drug maker lowered its annual earnings outlook last week, causing its share price to continue its nearly year-long slide. The company had already cut its forecast in May and announced the departure of its chief executive Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen. "In May we mostly thought the bottom was reached," Mikael Bak, director of the Danish shareholders' association, told AFP. Bak said "every is a bit surprised" that the situation has deteriorated. "So now we don't want to see more disappointments, there are reasons to believe the business is healthy, the institution and the products good," he said. Novo Nordisk announced last week that it was promoting Maziar Mike Doustdar, its vice president for international operations, to succeed Jorgensen. The popularity of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss treatments had once made it a darling of investors, boosting its share price and at one point making it Europe's most valuable company. But it now faces growing competition from rival treatments made by US group Eli Lilly in United States. A rule by the US Food and Drug Administration allowing pharmacies to create so-called "compound" copycat versions of the drug, after high demand led to shortages, has also dented Novo Nordisk's earnings.--AFP
New Straits Times
14 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Tobacco Control Alliance: Asean plastic pollution treaty must address toxic cigarette filters
KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations has been urged to ban plastic-based cigarette filters by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca), as governments worldwide meet to negotiate a treaty on plastic pollution. Seatca said the final round of negotiations in Geneva this week could either help Asean reverse the plastic pollution crisis or continue to pay US$10 billion (RM42 billion) to clean up toxic cigarette filters. The regional health NGO added that Asean member states, except for Indonesia, are parties to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). According to Seatca, an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded globally each year, with 460 billion of those in Asean. These butts are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that breaks down slowly into harmful microplastics. They also contain more than 7,000 chemicals, including nicotine and heavy metals, that can leach into the environment and harm ecosystems. Seatca called for the treaty to include a polluter-pays principle, making tobacco manufacturers financially responsible for filter pollution and cleanup. The group also said the treaty should reference the WHO's FCTC, reject industry influence, and ensure consistent alignment between environmental and public health policies. It also called for independent and industry-free public awareness campaigns and mandatory collection and disposal systems for tobacco product waste. The group highlighted that while eco-friendly alternatives exist for products like straws and bags, there are no sustainable alternatives for cigarette filters. It said that products marketed by the tobacco industry as "eco-filters" or "green butts" are misleading because they still release tar, nicotine, and heavy metals into the environment and often only break down under industrial composting conditions. Seatca said these "greenwashing tactics" must not fool negotiators, and that the treaty should include a comprehensive ban on all types of cigarette filters, not just plastic ones. The group added that filters, developed in the 1950s to ease public fears about the health effects of smoking, have failed to protect health.
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
China girl with heart infection wakes up from coma when shown college acceptance letter
BEIJING (SCMP): A student in central China who suffered from a heart infection and fell into a coma woke up when she was shown her college acceptance letter. On July 11, Jiang Chennan, 18, from Henan province sought medical help for fever and chest tightness, just after taking the 'gaokao', or national college entrance examination, in June, the mainland media outlet Jiupai News reported. Doctors diagnosed Jiang with fulminant myocarditis, the exact cause of which in her case remains unknown. The uncommon condition is characterised by a sudden and severe inflammation of the heart, which often leads to death. Key triggers include viral infections, emotional stress and a poor lifestyle. After being transferred to another hospital, Jiang fell into a coma and was kept alive with artificial heart-lung support in the intensive care unit. Her sister said that the family struggles financially. The father, who was injured in a 2023 car accident, is in debt, has trouble walking and can only rest at home. The mother sells food on the street to support them. They also have a younger brother in secondary school. The family borrowed money from multiple sources, and the cost of Jiang's treatment has already exceeded 200,000 yuan (US$28,000). On the eighth day of her coma, Jiang's father received her college acceptance letter and took it to the hospital, telling his daughter: 'We are all so happy, you have been admitted to university!' The father recalled seeing her eyelids twitch, giving the family hope. The next day, Jiang miraculously woke up and had a video call with her parents, during which she responded with an 'OK' gesture to the news. Her father said that while Jiang was awake, she still struggled to speak. She has been admitted to Huanghe Transportation University, a private school in Henan. Her 'gaokao' score has not been disclosed. Doctors said that Jiang was a 'lucky and miraculous girl', noting that her heart function has fully recovered and her condition is stable. The cause of her quick awakening remains unknown. Her father said: 'No matter how tough our finances are, I will send her to university because it is her dream.' Jiang has been moved to a general ward and is expected to start her studies in September. The story has touched many people on mainland social media. One online observer said: 'Jiang's hope for university may have been crucial to her waking up. I hope she recovers and starts school soon.' 'Jiang is so young and has a heart infection. She should exercise more, stay healthy, and avoid stress to ease her parents' worries and have a happy future,' said another. Apparent miracle stories often strike a chord on mainland social media. On July 15, a three-year-old boy from eastern China survived a plunge from the 18th floor of his residential block. His father tied a big red flower to honour the tree that cushioned his fall. - South China Morning Post
