On August 14, in Thu Duc ward, the Ho Chi Minh City Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine organized a conference to summarize the work of animal disease prevention and control and the program of monitoring and building areas and facilities for animal disease safety in the first 6 months of 2026; deploying tasks for the last 6 months of the year.
According to reports, in the first 6 months of 2026, the epidemic situation in many provinces and cities across the country is still developing complicatedly. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, outbreaks of African cholera, epidermatitis and animal rabies were recorded as small-scale, localized, and promptly controlled and handled, preventing widespread occurrence.
Ho Chi Minh City has issued a policy to support the cost of vaccination to prevent and control epidemics for livestock, poultry and dogs and cats. Accordingly, pig farms under 150 heads, buffaloes and cows under 40 heads, goats and sheep under 200 heads, poultry under 2,000 heads and dog and cat breeding households are exempt from free vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, rash, avian flu and animal rabies.
This policy is a premise to move towards controlling and controlling dangerous infectious diseases in livestock, especially diseases that are at risk of transmission from animals to humans such as rabies and avian flu.
Along with vaccination, the program to monitor and build areas and facilities that are safe from animal diseases continues to be implemented. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 1 region and 240 recognized animal disease safety facilities.
In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City livestock and veterinary sector strives to annually build at least 15-20 communes and wards to become disease-free zones for animal rabies, avian flu, Newcastle and foot-and-mouth disease.
In March 2026, more than 3,300 liters of chemicals were used to sanitize, disinfect, and detoxify nearly 43,000 turns of livestock facilities, slaughterhouses, and animal transport vehicles. To date, more than 15 million doses of avian foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, classical swine fever, epidermatitis, avian flu, and rabies have been vaccinated.
After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has about 22.5 million livestock and poultry of all kinds, with nearly 42,000 livestock facilities. Although the total herd at household livestock facilities accounts for a small proportion, the number of facilities accounts for a high proportion, posing a significant challenge in disease control.
In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine will continue to implement disease surveillance measures to livestock facilities, accelerate vaccination, and ensure that the disease coverage rate for livestock reaches at least 80% of the total herd. At the same time, strengthen inter-sectoral inspections to promptly detect and handle violations in the fields of livestock and veterinary medicine.
