Outbreak of African Swine Fever in Chinese Pigs

On August 3, the Ministry of Agriculture of China announced an outbreak of African swine fever in the Chinese province of Liaoning, located in the north-eastern part of China. The first case was found during a standard check by experts of the Chinese Epidemiological Center.

The area in which the sick animals were found was immediately cordoned off and the infected or exposed pigs are gradually being destroyed. In parallel, specialists are disinfecting the area.

A further outbreak of African swine fever was recorded on August 1 when infected livestock were found on a farm in Shenyang City.

Because of the dangerous situation, the authorities decided to ban the transport of live pigs from the contaminated area to other localities in China. The export of animals outside the city was also banned. At present, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of China state that the situation is under control.

African swine fever is a particularly dangerous viral disease easily spread among animals. It is not communicable to humans. The concern here is its effect on the agricultural sector, since infected livestock must be destroyed. It is possible to stop the further spread of African swine fever through strict quarantine measures.

By Dimitri Dolaberidze