What can be done to prevent the spread of animal diseases?

Cold weather is one reason for the spread of some pathogens and can also increase the risk of a disease outbreak. With some parts of the country now experiencing outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, Vientiane Times asked for people’s thoughts on ways to protect livestock.

Ms Yhai Naly, a resident of Vientiane:  It’s true that when the temperature drops, diseases are more likely to occur, both among humans and animals. This means farmers need to know how to protect their animals by vaccinating them. I think the authorities should provide vaccinations whenever there is a disease outbreak, to stop it spreading. And they should give advice to farmers about how best to protect their livestock. Farmers should get their animals vaccinated twice a year and should not sell infected meat because this could cause pathogens to spread to other animals and maybe humans. People should eat only meat that has been well cooked because raw meat can cause serious illness.        

Mr Bounsing Nanthavy, a resident of Savannakhet province: There are many diseases that are likely to affect animals in the winter months. Although we have vaccinations to prevent some diseases, some animals still fall ill and die. This could be because the vaccine is not strong enough to protect animals from infection. Another problem is that we don’t have many professional veterinarians; some people have had some training in this line of work, but they aren’t vets. This makes it quite hard to fight a disease outbreak and make sure that animals get the correct treatment. I think the authorities should give advice to farmers about ways to ward off diseases and provide training for the public about ways to treat animals so that not so many die. 

Ms Khuanta Phommixay, a resident of Saravan province: Many cattle in our village died after falling ill some time ago. I think it was because most farmers didn’t know how to prevent diseases from occurring, while most don’t bother with vaccinations for their animals. Some farmers eat meat from animals that have died after contacting a disease, but this is bad because pathogens could spread to humans and other animals. More people need to do more to care for their animals and especially make sure they are vaccinated twice a year. And the authorities should get more involved and do more to help, especially when there are disease outbreaks.

Mr Inthasone Veomano, a resident of Xaysettha district, Vientiane:  There have always been outbreaks of diseases in our village, and a lot of poultry die every year. As we all know, it’s quite difficult to treat animals after they become sick. I know that the authorities are doing their best to tackle this problem, but I think everyone needs to do more to prevent the outbreak of disease among their animals. And any infection should be reported to the authorities immediately, so that steps can be taken to stop the disease spreading and affecting large numbers of animals. 

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update February 3, 2022)