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Cabinet officials

Animal Disease Vaccination Targets Fall Short in Vietnam

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Despite setting ambitious targets, Vietnam's animal disease vaccination programs continue to struggle, with significant gaps in vaccination coverage for African swine fever, avian influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease. According to the latest data, vaccination rates for these diseases remain alarmingly low, highlighting the need for improved vaccine coverage, particularly in small-scale and scattered livestock operations. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Phung Aa, has emphasized the pressing need for incentive mechanisms, supportive policies, greater public awareness, and stronger monitoring to overcome the challenges facing the country's animal disease control programs.

Key Takeaways:

  • Vaccination coverage for African swine fever among pigs reached only 1.1% of the total herd, avian influenza coverage stood at 19.8%, and foot-and-mouth disease immunizations among cattle and buffalo reached 25.5% in the first half of the year.
  • Most other diseases recorded vaccination rates below 10%, highlighting limited vaccine coverage, especially in small-scale and scattered livestock operations.
  • The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment identified the main obstacles to achieving vaccine coverage as difficulties in livestock population assessment close to vaccination periods, limited funding, complex procurement procedures, and low public awareness of the importance of immunization.
  • Several persistent issues were highlighted, including a high prevalence of avian influenza viruses, coexistence of small-scale and concentrated livestock farming, weak vaccination uptake in remote areas, substandard slaughtering and processing facilities, and underdeveloped infrastructure in livestock regions.
  • Phan Quang Minh, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, reported a decrease of over 77% in foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks and over 83% in cases compared to the same period in 2024.
  • Avian influenza occurred in six provinces with nine outbreaks, causing 21,337 infected birds and 25,318 birds to be destroyed, despite a decrease in the number of provinces with outbreaks.
  • A total of 251 ASF outbreaks were reported in 35 provinces, representing a 14.6% drop in the number of affected localities, a 61.8% decrease in outbreaks, and an 81.3% reduction in losses compared to the same period in 2024.

Statistics:

  • 1.1% vaccination coverage for African swine fever among pigs
  • 19.8% avian influenza coverage
  • 25.5% foot-and-mouth disease immunization among cattle and buffalo
  • 10 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, involving 235 animals infected and 34 culled
  • 9 avian influenza outbreaks, causing 21,337 infected birds and 25,318 birds to be destroyed
  • 251 ASF outbreaks in 35 provinces, with a 14.6% drop in the number of affected localities, a 61.8% decrease in outbreaks, and an 81.3% reduction in losses compared to the same period in 2024
  • 580 pig farms certified as disease-free for ASF, far exceeding the target of 80

Sources:

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (not specified)
  • Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Aa
  • Phan Quang Minh, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health
  • United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • Republic of Korea (financial support for ASF project)

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