An outbreak of African swine fever was confirmed in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province on Sunday, with a total of 615 pigs infected and 88 dead. An emergency response mechanism has been triggered and the epidemic is currently under control.
China's Ministry of Agriculture Sunday said hogs had died from African swine fever in the eastern city of Lianyungang, the third outbreak this month, as the highly-contagious disease threatened to spread through the world's biggest pig herd.
A total of 615 hogs have been infected since August 15 with the swine fever in Lianyungang, in Jiangsu province, where authorities have banned the movement of hogs, related products and animals that are easily infected both into and outside the affected area, the ministry said.
Emergency measures, including culling and disinfecting animals, have brought the outbreak in the city's Haizhou district under "effective control," the ministry said.
Authorities have launched an emergency response mechanism to enable the effective control of the African swine fever epidemic in a farm in Haizhou District of Lianyungang city.
The farm where the epidemic occurred was completed in April this year. There are 4,626 live pigs in existence. From August 15th, the unidentified death of pigs has appeared one after another. By the time the epidemic was confirmed, there were a total of 615 pigs infected and 88 deaths.
After the diagnosis of the epidemic, the Haizhou District Government of Lianyungang City demarcated the threatened area of the epidemic area in the first time, and issued a blockade order to carry out culling and disposal of live pigs within 3 km of the affected farms, and vehicles and personnel in past epidemic areas.
The disinfection of the surrounding threatened areas will be carried out further.
At present, authorities in Lianyungang City has completely stopped the transfer of pigs and their products, and implemented a daily reporting system for pig slaughterhouses and harmless treatment sites.
The epidemic in the whole district has been effectively controlled, and no new abnormalities have been discovered.
The source of the swine fever is under investigation.
African swine fever virus is the causative agent of African swine fever or ASFV. The virus causes a haemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs, but persistently infects its natural hosts, warthogs, bushpigs, and soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros, with no disease signs.
ASFV is a large, double-stranded DNA virus which replicates in the cytoplasm of infected cells. ASFV infects domestic pigs, warthogs and bushpigs, as well as soft ticks, which likely act as a vector.
(source:ourjiangsu.com)
