Swine fever countermeasures see continued success

China had recorded 143 African swine fever outbreaks by Sunday, and quarantine measures had been lifted on areas involving 131 outbreaks, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Monday.

China reported the first ASF outbreak in August in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The number of outbreaks for this year was 44 - a decrease from the latter half of last year - and the number of outbreaks recorded each month was less than 10 since the beginning of 2019 except in April, signifying progress in the control and prevention of the disease in China, Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Yu Xinrong said at a news conference.

Authorities will continue intensified measures for AFS prevention and control, including banning feeding pigs with chicken leftovers, improving coordination in disease control and prevention efforts between different areas and intensifying inspection at ports of entry, he said.

African swine fever is deadly to pigs but does not infect humans, according to the ministry. No effective vaccines have yet been developed for its prevention.