Zhejiang reports outbreak of African swine fever

BEIJING -- An outbreak of African swine fever has been discovered in the city of Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Thursday.

On August 17, a suspected outbreak was reported by pig farmers in Yueqing of Wenzhou. The case was confirmed Wednesday, the ministry said in an online statement.

So far, 430 pigs have been affected, of which 340 were killed.

The ministry has sent teams to Zhejiang, where local authorities have initiated an emergency response mechanism to block, cull, and disinfect the affected pigs.

The situation is under control, said the ministry.

Earlier this month, an outbreak of African swine fever was discovered in a farm in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province. It was China's first outbreak of the disease.

African swine fever is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects pigs. It does not affect humans or other animal species.