Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called for strengthening the control of imports for shrimp broodstock and PLs and aquafeeds from China, reported local news. The call is to prevent the spread of the decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) that is causing a massive loss in shrimp farms in China.

The DIV1 virus was first detected in 2014 in samples of red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in Fujian province, whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannanei) in Zhejian province and giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) in some provinces of China. The virus re-emerged in February this year in Guangdong Province infecting up to a quarter of the province’s shrimp farms.

The MARD said the DIV1 infected all stages of shrimps and was found in saltwater, brackish and freshwater shrimps.