From the beginning of the year until June 8, 2026, African swine fever has occurred across 1,711 livestock households in 343 villages and hamlets of 26 communes and wards throughout the province. The total number of infected, dead, and compulsorily culled pigs has reached 7,074 heads, with a total weight of over 376 tons. Although localities have drastically deployed measures for zoning, outbreak handling, decontamination, and guiding residents to destroy infected animals according to regulations, cases of several households lacking awareness and dumping dead pig carcasses into the environment still emerge.

During the final days of May, Na Son commune recorded nine livestock households with pigs infected with African swine fever. While the disease develops in a complex manner, a video clip surfaced on the social media network Facebook reflecting the situation of pig carcasses dumped into a stream, raising serious public concerns over environmental pollution and disease transmission risks.

Discussing the video clip’s content with reporters, Phạm Quang Thành, Director of the Na Son commune General Service Center, stated that authorities currently have no basis to confirm that the incident occurred in the locality. Relevant units are conducting verifications to clarify the information for handling directions in accordance with regulations.

Across many rural areas, particularly in remote and isolated zones, discovering dead animal carcasses dumped into ravines and streams is no longer a rare occurrence during disease outbreaks. Decomposing pig carcasses not only emit unpleasant, foul odors but also serve as reservoirs for dangerous pathogens. When infected animal carcasses are dumped into streams, the water source can become contaminated, cascading the virus downstream, spreading it to other areas, and threatening the herds of numerous livestock households.

To prevent disease outbreaks, Nà Tấu commune has coordinated with specialized agencies to step up dissemination, helping residents clearly understand their responsibilities in environmental protection and disease prevention. Therefore, immediately after detecting unusual signs in their pigs, the family of Lường Văn Minh in Tà Cáng village reported to commune cadres for proper handling guidance.

Lường Văn Minh stated that through dissemination by the local government and specialized cadres, his family as well as the villagers all understand that when pigs die from disease, they must immediately report to authorities and execute culling according to instructions. He added that they do not dump animal carcasses into streams or the environment because doing so would spread the disease to other households.

Alongside households that comply well, there remain several subjective cases that have not fully perceived the consequences of indiscriminately dumping dead animal carcasses. This sets forth a demand to continue strengthening dissemination work to elevate community awareness. On the other hand, protecting the environment and preventing diseases must stem from the awareness of each individual breeding household.

Leading the way to tour the unit’s pig farming area, Thào A Chư from the Toàn Hương High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative in Mường Pồn commune emphasized that each livestock household needs to upgrade its awareness; when pigs die, they must report to veterinary cadres and destroy them according to regulations. He warned that if everyone throws dead pig carcasses into streams, the water source will be polluted and the disease will spread very rapidly, which does not only affect one’s own family but also causes damage to the entire community.

Faced with the reality of ongoing complex disease developments, the specialized sector has enhanced monitoring, inspection, and guidance for localities to strictly implement disease prevention measures. Since the beginning of the year, the entire province has collected and tested 86 specimens of various types, with results showing that up to 57 samples tested positive for the African swine fever virus.

The disease significantly affects animal husbandry, making the disposal of infected animals according to regulations increasingly critical. This must be executed through a strict process, such as digging pits of correct sizes, spreading lime powder, spraying disinfectants, and backfilling soil to ensure environmental hygiene. Carcasses must absolutely not be transported out of the outbreak detection zone or dumped into ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams.

According to Chu Thị Thanh Xuân, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, several dangerous diseases, particularly African swine fever, possess the capability to persist for a long duration in the environment and spread rapidly. She noted that the recombinant genotype I+II virus strain currently circulating predominantly in the province creates difficulties for prevention and control work. Meanwhile, the awareness of a segment of livestock farmers remains limited, and their failure to strictly comply with regulations on disease prevention and control causes African swine fever to develop in a complex manner, with outbreaks occurring on a wide scale.

Animal diseases always harbor many unpredictable risks, especially under current conditions where small-scale, fragmented livestock farming still accounts for a large proportion. Each citizen needs to upgrade their awareness, strictly implement regulations on disease prevention and control, and refrain from dumping dead animal carcasses into the environment. Only with the joint hands of the government, specialized agencies, and livestock farmers can disease prevention and control achieve efficiency, contributing to protecting the environment, safeguarding production, and developing a sustainable livestock sector.