Swine Fever Case reported in China

China on Wednesday confirmed a new case of African swine fever in southwestern Sichuan Province.

The outbreak occurred in a farm with a total of 102 pigs in Jiajiang County, Leshan City, with the viral disease infecting 21 pigs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said, citing a report from the China Animal Disease Control Center.

A team was dispatched to the area immediately, and local authorities have initiated an emergency response to block, cull affected pigs and disinfect the venue.

Transport of all pigs and related products out of or into the blocked region is forbidden, the ministry said.

African swine fever is believed to infect only pigs, and no humans or other species have thus far been infected.

China reported its first case of the disease in August 2018 in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Later outbreaks have been reported in several other provincial regions.

The pork industry is cleaning up its act in response to the devastating outbreak of African swine fever which has wiped out millions of pigs in the past year.

People involved in the pork industry say biosecurity has been tightened, from farms to feed mills to transport.

One farm owner, surnamed Ma, says she is disinfecting inside and outside pig barns every other day on her 4,000 herd pig farm, instead of her previous practice of once or twice a week.

She has also invested in her own truck for delivering pigs to the slaughterhouse and bringing in feed supplies to try to prevent contamination.

Source: Xinhua/ Reuters