The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Tri province reported that since early February, anthrax has killed at least 39 cattle and buffalo in Ba Long Commune and Trieu Nguyen Commune of Dakrong District.
Ha Sy Dong, Acting Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee, has issued an official directive for the urgent and coordinated implementation of measures to prevent and control anthrax in livestock across the province, the committee's office reported yesterday.
Localities must organize to prevent and strictly address cases of illegal cross-border trade and transport of animals and animal products.
In recent days, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bien, a resident of Mai Son Village in Ba Long Commune, Dakrong District, Quang Tri Province, remains in shock after witnessing multiple buffaloes from her family and neighboring households perish in the forest due to anthrax.
Ms. Bien's family lost six buffaloes to the outbreak. She had previously taken out a loan to purchase two buffaloes, and after years of dedication, her herd grew to dozens. Raising buffaloes provided her family with a stable income, as they could sell two to three each year. However, the epidemic has wiped out much of their herd, leaving them at risk of losing everything they worked so hard to build.
Elsewhere in in Ba Long Commune, farmer Tran Duc Loi also endured substantial losses when his family's herd of 19 buffaloes dwindled to just 9.
Chairman Tran Huu Hieu of the Ba Long Commune People's Committee said that the local herd of buffaloes and cows exceeds 1,300. However, effective disease control and vaccination efforts remain limited due to the common practice of allowing these animals to roam freely in the forest and the insufficient support for vaccines.
According to a report from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Tri province, since the beginning of February, anthrax has occurred in Ba Long and Trieu Nguyen communes of Dakrong District, killing 39 cattle.
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