African swine fever: New outbreaks in China, South Korea and the Philippines

September 23, 2019

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The number of countries reporting African swine fever (ASF) rose to nine last week with additional of South Korea last week.

On Monday, South Korea, the Philippines and China all reported new cases/outbreaks.

South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture (MAFRA) reported the third case (computer translated) in the city of Gimpo. Some 1,800 pigs were affected on the pig farm near Seoul.

Philippines agriculture officials reported more ASF in a village in Antipolo, Rizal, east of the Philippine capital Manila, and some areas in central Luzon. At least a dozen backyard farms in Manila and Rizal and Bulacan provinces have been affected.

The country declared the first ASF outbreak two weeks ago.

In China,the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported a new case of African swine fever on a farm in Cen Xi city in southwestern region of Guangxi.

In addition to these three countries, ASF has also been reported in Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, North Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar.

According to FAO, ASF is a highly contagious, generalized disease of pigs caused by an Iridovirus of family Asfarviridae that exhibits varying virulence between strains and is very hardy to physical and chemical inactivation. The agent can remain viable for long periods in blood, feces and tissues. It can also multiply in its vectors. In view of this, the control of ASF is dependent on stamping out policy and strict quarantine enforcement. It most commonly appears in the acute form as a hemorrhagic fever. Subacute and chronic forms of the disease also exist. Mortality is usually close to 100 percent and pigs of all ages are affected.