Before the Risk of a Global Flu Pandemic: A Tangle of Issues

Despite warnings about a potential outbreak of avian influenza, residents and authorities in some localities remain indifferent or have yet to take decisive measures for prevention.

Negligent Quarantine Measures

Chickens and ducks being slaughtered amidst piles of waste and feathers at Long Bien Market (Hanoi) on the afternoon of October 24

The situation of transporting and trading poultry without quarantine inspections continues to occur in many areas of Hanoi.

At 2 PM on October 24, even though it was not peak hours for transportation and slaughtering, activities at Long Bien wholesale market were still bustling. Vendors were taking advantage of the quiet moments to eat sticky rice, while others were resting on hammocks strung above cages of chickens, surrounded by piles of waste and feathers that had not yet been cleaned since the morning.

On the ground, amidst the heaps of poultry waste, many buckets were filled with entrails floating on the surface, making it uncomfortable for market-goers to walk through this area. Sellers claimed that this was “goods” to be delivered to night food vendors in the city. They regularly collected meat and entrails from here.

A small truck was parked in the middle of the market, waiting for a crowd of people to wash each sack containing poultry feathers before loading them onto the truck. Large buckets of water were poured into sacks filled with feathers for washing before being thrown onto the truck, with water spilling over and mixing with the waste from the slaughtering area, creating a strong stench.

A woman loading goods stated: “These feathers are transported back to Trieu Khuc village, Ha Tay (meaning this truck carrying sacks of feathers and the stinking water will pass through the streets of Hanoi), dried, and then sold to China”…

At Hang Be market, poultry businesses occupy the ground floor, while the attic serves as living quarters for the vendors.

Prohibition signs against trading poultry were erected in various locations. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that most of the cages containing ducks and chickens displayed on the ground did not have quarantine stamps. Moreover, the inspection process here was “as quick as lightning,” with one quarantine officer, wearing a floppy hat and a face mask, lethargically using a small knife to flip a few poultry and then… stamping them. That was the end of the quarantine procedure.

Hundreds of chickens, ducks, and geese without quarantine stamps were slaughtered right at the live poultry section without being taken to the designated slaughter area as required.

Uncontrollable Situation!

At the poultry trading area of Ben Tre market on the afternoon of October 24, a vendor named Vo Thi Tuyet stated: “We had stopped selling, but I don’t understand why, three days ago, we were notified to sell again, so we quickly returned to the market. The veterinary staff were also present to inspect and stamp as usual, so it’s not a ban!”.

From our observations, only about 10% of the chickens and ducks sold at Ben Tre market yesterday had quarantine stamps from the veterinary authorities. Regarding the quarantine process, Vo Thi Tuyet expressed her frustration: “Their quarantine measures are as good as nothing; they stamp any animal brought to them. The other day, I brought a dead duck, and they stamped it anyway.”

In a conversation with a Tuoi Tre reporter on the afternoon of October 24, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Bao, Vice Chairman of the Ben Tre Provincial People’s Committee, stated that although the province had announced a ban on the re-establishment of poultry flocks since June 2005 until the end of this year, and required that poultry not be used as food during vaccination periods, the transportation of poultry must be authorized by veterinary authorities…

However, in practice, control can only be effectively implemented in Ben Tre town and surrounding towns; in remote areas, it is impossible to manage. Since there has been no outbreak, trading poultry and poultry products cannot be banned.

Yesterday afternoon, in a conversation with Tuoi Tre, Nguyen Thanh Nguyen, Vice Chairman of Long An Provincial People’s Committee, stated that the province has vaccinated 92% of its total flock of 2.3 million birds. Mr. Nguyen admitted that, despite concentrated efforts, controlling avian influenza in Long An has not been effective.

Currently, the relevant departments in Long An have submitted a proposal to the Provincial People’s Committee to reward those who report cases of illegal egg hatching or poultry re-establishment. The Provincial People’s Committee is studying this proposal and is likely to sign it in the near future.

HOÀNG MAI – THU HÒA – VÂN TRƯỜNG