The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's request for strict implementation of measures to prevent and control Rabies in animals in Vietnam

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's request for strict implementation of measures to prevent and control Rabies in animals in Vietnam (Internet image) 

On February 26, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Directive 1296/CT-BNN-TY on the strict implementation of measures to prevent and control Rabies in animals.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's request for strict implementation of measures to prevent and control Rabies in animals in Vietnam

Specifically, in order to urgently control Rabies outbreaks in animals, prevent new outbreaks and transmission, thereby minimizing deaths and moving towards zero human deaths from Rabies, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the Chairman of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally-run cities to direct relevant departments and People's Committees at all levels to concentrate resources to strictly implement measures to prevent and control Rabies as prescribed in the Law on veterinary medicine 2015, guidance documents for implementing the Law on veterinary medicine 2015, directives of the Prime Minister mentioned in the above-mentioned documents, and instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The following contents should be emphasized:

- Strengthening guidance, inspection, supervision, and organization of measures to prevent and control Rabies in animals, and implementing the construction of safe Rabies-disease areas in animals.

- Directing the review and adjustment of local Rabies prevention and control programs and plans for 2024 and subsequent years to ensure appropriateness and allocation of sufficient resources for effective implementation of Rabies prevention and control measures at the local level.

- Directing People's Committees at all levels, relevant departments, especially health and veterinary agencies, to carry out Rabies surveillance, early detection of suspected Rabies cases, share information, and coordinate in investigating and handling outbreaks. All suspected cases of Rabies in animals must be sampled and sent to authorized veterinary laboratories for Rabies testing.

- Strengthening dog and cat management, accurately counting the number of households raising and the total population of dogs and cats; directing strict handling of free-roaming dogs in each commune; guiding and requiring pet owners to commit to declaring and confining dogs and cats, ensuring veterinary hygiene conditions; and not causing harm to those around them.

- Vaccinating dogs and cats against Rabies, ensuring a vaccination rate of over 70% of the total population in 2024 and subsequent years to achieve the goals of the National Rabies Prevention and Control Program for the period 2022–2030. Strictly handling cases of non-compliance with Rabies vaccination for pet dogs and cats according to regulations.

- Enhancing communication on the level of danger and measures to prevent and control Rabies, as well as relevant legal provisions regarding Rabies prevention and control in the community, schools, livestock breeders, dog and cat slaughter, and relevant organizations and individuals through appropriate means.

- Directing the establishment of task forces led by the leaders of People's Committees at all levels in coordination with specialized units such as veterinary and health agencies to conduct inspections, guidance, supervision, and evaluation of the effectiveness of implementing measures to prevent and control animal disease outbreaks in high-risk areas.

- Completing and enhancing the capacity of the veterinary system at all levels in accordance with the regulations of the Law on veterinary medicine 2015, directives of the Politburo, the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the Government, and Decision 414/QD-TTg dated March 22, 2021, by the Prime Minister on approving the plan to enhance the capacity of the veterinary system at all levels for the period 2021-2030 to ensure effective organization and implementation of animal disease prevention and control tasks.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assigns the Department of Animal Health and units under the Department to organize task forces to inspect, guide, supervise, organize, and evaluate the effectiveness of implementation in priority areas; enhance surveillance of the Rabies virus; provide timely warning; and provide guidance on Rabies prevention and control measures.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the Chairman of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally-run cities to pay attention to directing departments, agencies, and local authorities at all levels to urgently organize the strict implementation of the above-mentioned contents; promptly inform the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (via the Department of Animal Health, address: No. 15 Alley 78, Giai Phong Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi; email: dichte.dah@gmail.com) to coordinate in handling arising issues.

More details can be found in Directive 1296/CT-BNN-TY dated February 26, 2024.

Ho Quoc Tuan

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