Vietnam: African Swine Fever in Vietnam
African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread rapidly throughout Vietnam, despite continuing efforts by the Vietnamese Government (GVN) to limit the impact. Vietnam announced its first detection of ASF on February 19, 2019. As of June 17, 2019, the disease spread to 58 out of 63 municipalities and provinces across the country with 2,637,051 pigs depopulated, equal to nearly 9.4 percent of the country’s total swine population. As of June 4, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) estimated ASF damage at VND 3.6 trillion ($154.8 million). ASF’s medium and long-term economic and social impacts will depend on the severity of the epidemic, the policy response, and Vietnam’s animal disease control capacity. Although there is no human health risk, ASF is already influencing consumer purchasing behavior. Given the complexity of the ASF situation, it may take a significant amount of time before Vietnam can control the disease and fully repopulate its swine herds.
