The Great Swine Flu Disaster: A Business’s Demise

Hòa Phong and Hòa Ninh (Hòa Vang district) are the first two communes in Da Nang to be affected by the African swine fever, devastating pig farmers.

Devastated Livelihoods

Mr. Nam’s pig farm is located away from the residential area. He had 24 pigs, but earlier this month, two of them suddenly stopped eating, appeared dazed, and then died. Mr. Nam reported this to the village, and the veterinary officer took samples for testing, which confirmed the presence of African swine fever. The infected pigs were culled. The next day, six more pigs from the same pen were tested and found to be infected, and they had to be culled as well.

In the neighboring village of Cam Toai Tay, Mr. Nguyen Luong Cu’s nine pigs, each weighing around 40kg on average, also contracted the disease and had to be culled.

In Hoa Ninh commune, Mr. Huynh Van Huyn’s family is also facing difficulties due to the disease. At the end of July, ten pigs from his herd of 36 stopped eating and showed signs of hemorrhage. A few of them died, and the veterinary officer’s test results confirmed African swine fever. Thus, his entire herd, each pig weighing over thirty kilograms, was wiped out in an instant. If the pigs had not “met with this misfortune,” he would have earned over a hundred million dong when they were fully grown and sold.

As of now, Hoa Vang district has two communes with five villages affected by the African swine fever. Mr. Phan Duy Anh, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoa Vang district, acknowledged that the outbreak directly impacts the livelihoods and incomes of pig farmers, especially those whose pigs are infected.

The Whole Village Fights the Disease

Hoa Vang district has nearly 900 households and farms raising pigs. When the disease broke out, not only the families with infected pigs were affected, but all pig farmers were on edge.

Along with cordoning off the affected areas and implementing containment and control measures, the local authorities have also temporarily halted pig slaughtering and transportation into or out of the district. Bun and noodle shops have been asked to switch to using beef or to temporarily cease operations as customers are reluctant to consume pork.

Mr. Duy Hung, head of Cam Toai Tay village, said that apart from going door-to-door and holding meetings to inform villagers about the African swine fever, the village also makes daily announcements on three loudspeakers placed throughout the village to ensure everyone is informed. Each group leader in the village must keep track of the number of households raising pigs and their daily health status.