News African swine fever
Concerns about swine fever in Asia are rising
The authorities in China announce that a fifth infection of African swine fever (ASF) has been detected. The considerable distance between the outbreaks means that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is starting to worry that the virus will spread to other countries in Asia.
It concerns an infection in the eastern province of Anhui, in which about 185 pigs are infected with the virus. That is what the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China announced. It is the fifth outbreak in less than a month. The government is particularly concerned about the speed at which the virus is spreading.
About 80 of 459 pigs have died as a result of the animal disease. The other animals that were on the farm near Wuhu have been killed. The infection took place 350 kilometers west of Shanghai. The transport of pigs and products has been stopped.
How does the infection take place?
Including this fifth outbreak, nearly 25.000 pigs have been culled in China so far. The total herd is about 500 million animals. Although this is relatively small compared to the number of pigs killed in the European Union (EU), there is cause for concern† For example, the virus always appears at a great distance from the previous infection and it is not (yet) clear how the virus spreads exactly.
The outbreaks known to date have occurred in Anhui (the tenth largest pig province in China), Jijangsu, Henan, Zhejiang and Hubei. The distance is therefore particularly large, because Wuhu is approximately 1.700 kilometers from the first infection.
Is China in control?
Although the Chinese have no idea how the virus spreads, the FAO takes into account that it is mainly pork products that spread the animal disease. The virus poses no threat to public health, but is therefore fatal to pigs. However, because pork is an important protein in Asia, the virus could seriously endanger the food supply.
The question now is whether China get a grip has on the pig sector and every outbreak is reported, or that the contamination is much bigger than thought. The FAO is particularly concerned that the virus could spread to other countries in Asia.
Herman van den Pol
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