With a total flock of more than 550 million poultry and more than 900 species of wild birds, Vietnam is currently one of the countries at high risk of avian influenza outbreaks. Especially in the context of climate change and increasing trade, the risk of disease is becoming ever more apparent.
In response to this situation, on the morning of June 21, 2025, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Veterinary Science and Technology Association organized a specialized technical workshop titled “Avian Influenza in Practice: Updates on Epidemiological Situation, Diagnosis, and Applied Solutions in Livestock Production”. The event attracted the participation of many leading experts, managers, and representatives of enterprises and livestock farms across the country.
VIETNAM IN ASIA-PACIFIC’S “FLU BELT”
In her opening remarks, Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong – Chairwoman of the Vietnam Veterinary Association – said that over the past 20 years, Vietnam has continuously faced highly pathogenic avian influenza strains such as H5N1, H5N6, and H5N8. Although disease prevention and control efforts have seen many positive changes, the risk of resurgence always remains due to dense farming conditions, weather favorable for virus development, and uneven awareness of disease prevention.
Along with biosecurity measures, vaccination is a key factor in protecting poultry flocks and ensuring production efficiency.
SEVERE LOSSES IF AN OUTBREAK OCCURS
According to data from the Department of Livestock Production and Veterinary Medicine, in the period from 2019 to April 2025, avian influenza appeared in 358 communes nationwide, forcing the culling of an average of more than 240,000 poultry each year. Previously, the severe outbreak from 2003–2006 caused Vietnam to cull more than 45 million birds, with losses reaching 248 million USD.
More worryingly, some avian influenza virus strains such as A/H5N1 can also spread to wild animals, and were previously detected in tigers, lions, and black panthers at captive facilities in Long An and Dong Nai in 2024.
“GAPS” THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Giap (Vietnam National University of Agriculture) pointed out that the application of biosecurity measures is still not synchronized. Many small-scale households still underestimate disinfection, access control, or changing footwear when coming into contact with livestock. Vaccination efforts also face difficulties due to the diversity of vaccines on the market and the lack of consistency in vaccination schedules.
In addition, some reasons why vaccines are ineffective include: vaccination at the wrong time when maternal antibodies are still high, selecting the wrong vaccine strain, or the animals’ immune systems being weakened by stress, toxins, or other viral infections.
TOWARD A “RIGHT STRAIN – RIGHT TIME – RIGHT WAY” STRATEGY
To effectively control avian influenza, experts emphasized the need to implement multiple solutions in a coordinated manner:
- Strengthen biosecurity: Establish isolation systems between livestock areas, treat waste according to proper procedures, and ensure feed is not contaminated with pathogens.
- Improve vaccination effectiveness: Select vaccines with antigens suitable for the virus strains circulating locally, and vaccinate on schedule and with proper technique. Factors such as maternal antibodies and the animals’ immune response capacity should be taken into account.
- Apply modern diagnostic techniques: RT-PCR is currently a rapid, accurate, and highly specific method for diagnosing avian influenza. In addition, virus isolation and gene sequencing help identify virus strains for research and disease prevention purposes.
- Proactive epidemiological surveillance: Strengthen testing capacity in high-risk areas such as the Mekong Delta and Central Vietnam, and promptly contain and handle outbreaks when detected.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Giap also emphasized the role of technology in outbreak surveillance and real-time management of farming behavior to improve farmers’ compliance awareness.
SPREADING KNOWLEDGE, PROTECTING THE LIVESTOCK SECTOR
At the end of the workshop, Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong expressed her gratitude to the accompanying units, experts, technicians, and logistics staff who contributed to the success of the event. She expressed hope that the knowledge and experience shared at the workshop would continue to be disseminated and applied in practice, contributing to better control of avian influenza, toward a safe and sustainable livestock industry and the protection of public health.
Tran My
Source: Nhachannuoi.vn
