By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Officials in Timor-Leste, an island country just north of Australia, became the 10th country to reported an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

Image/Mutinka

According to a meeting of the Council of Ministers this week (computer translated), the Acting Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fidelis Leite Magalhães, made a presentation to the Council concerning the disease that has caused the death of hundreds of pigs on national territory. Samples were taken from these animals and sent for laboratory analysis in Australia confirming that these animals have African swine fever.

It also notes that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Government of Australia, has taken all necessary measures to limit the effects of this outbreak, for which there is no remedy, cure or vaccine yet.

Official information concerning the outbreak reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), one hundred outbreaks have been reported in smallholder pig farms in Dili Municipality, including 405 pig deaths.

The total number of pigs in smallholder farms in the Dili Municipality is estimated to be 44,000 pigs based on 2015 census data.

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In addition to Timor-Leste, ASF outbreaks have been reported in Mongolia, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

This has accounted for more than 6 million pig deaths since the first outbreak in China last August.

While not dangerous to humans, ASF causes up to 100% fatality in pigs, leading to severe economic losses to the pig sector.