500 ducks tested positive for avian influenza

While many households are hiding their poultry to avoid vaccination, the veterinary sector is facing a vaccine shortage; chicken and duck meat without veterinary stamps are still being sold in many markets.

Risk of Disease Outbreak

Vaccination against avian influenza for poultry in Da Phuoc commune, An Phu district, An Giang

In Ninh Quoi A commune, Hong Dan district (Bac Lieu), the veterinary sector discovered that 500 ducks owned by Mr. T.V.B. died from a disease with positive test results for Avian Influenza Type A. By the morning of October 18, when the veterinary station arrived for culling, many of the ducks had died, leaving only about 100 alive… Yet, wherever we go, we see poultry farmers “carefree.”

From Chau Thanh to Tri Ton (An Giang), we still encounter many “resident” flocks of ducks on elevated land, along the deserted banks of canals surrounded by floodwaters. The vaccination schedule in each commune has been widely announced in advance, allowing farmers to gather their poultry but also enabling many to know in advance to send their ducks far away! Farmers fear that vaccination will reduce egg production and income, so they are avoiding poultry vaccination.

Mr. Lam Tri Thong, deputy head of the Veterinary Department of Bac Lieu Province, stated that over 400,000 poultry in six districts of the province have been vaccinated, accounting for over 40%. According to Mr. Thong, there is still a shortage of over 200,000 doses of vaccine for ducks, so vaccination has only been administered to chickens in the last three days. Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Dong Thap are all facing similar situations, pausing avian flu vaccinations while waiting for vaccine supplies.

Mr. Vo Be Hien, head of the Veterinary Department of Dong Thap Province, said: “We need more vaccines and urge localities to implement a more synchronized and strict plan; otherwise, the risk of disease outbreaks in high-density poultry areas like flood zones will occur.”

“Circumventing Regulations” to Sell Meat

A concerning reality is that the transportation and sale of small-scale poultry in markets continue to thrive. On October 18, at Phu Loc Market (Thanh Tri District, Soc Trang Province), we observed over five individuals selling more than 60 prepared ducks. Some of these had discolored thighs and necks. About 6 km away, at Chau Hung Market (Thanh Tri District), prepared ducks and chickens were still being sold normally without regulatory oversight. Other markets in the province showed no difference, with chickens and ducks pouring in at all hours, even in the central market of Soc Trang.

According to regulations, poultry vaccinated within 28 days is not allowed to be transported, sold, or slaughtered… However, at markets in Phu Tan and Tinh Bien (An Giang), many sellers assured that their poultry had not been vaccinated, so there was no problem, and even if they had been vaccinated, it wouldn’t matter if they were slaughtered!

According to a veterinary leader in the Mekong Delta, the number of poultry sold in small batches at markets, especially in rural areas, is very difficult to monitor for traceability, as regulations state that transporting less than 100 chickens, ducks, geese, or less than 50 for slaughter does not require quarantine inspection. Many people have “circumvented the law” by splitting their poultry into smaller groups for multiple trips, making it impossible to check whether the poultry is infected before it enters markets or slaughterhouses.

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