Vietnam's Quang Ngai tightens Laos border controls to curb African swine fever

The measures are part of Plan No. 430, issued by the provincial administration on Friday, which calls for stronger disease prevention and control efforts, including inspections of pigs and pork products of unknown origin.

The plan will remain in effect through February 28, 2027, and aims to contain both domestic sources of infection and the risk of transmission across the Laos border, limit losses for livestock farmers and protect the local pork supply.

The move comes as African swine fever has affected 416 households in 116 hamlets across 37 communes in the province since the beginning of 2026, forcing authorities to cull 3,043 pigs weighing more than 146 metric tons.

Besides the risk of further outbreaks within the province, Quang Ngai is also facing the threat of the disease spreading from neighboring Laos.

Authorities warned that African swine fever outbreaks in Laos remain complicated, posing a risk of transmission into Vietnam through the transportation of pigs and pork products across the border.

The provincial police have been assigned to take the lead in advising on the establishment of an inter-agency inspection team to monitor the Vietnam-Laos border area, interprovincial roads, collection and transit points, markets, slaughterhouses and pork trading establishments.

The border inspections are aimed at preventing infected pigs and pork products of unknown origin from entering the domestic market and triggering additional outbreaks.

Meanwhile, pig transportation, slaughter and trading activities within the province will also be inspected to detect and deal with violations in a timely manner.

African swine fever is a severe and highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, although it does not pose a threat to human health, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Pigs infected with the virus may show symptoms such as fever, weakness, reduced appetite and skin hemorrhages, and can die suddenly.

The disease has a mortality rate of up to 100 percent, making it one of the most devastating threats to pig populations, the FAO said.