Sustained efforts needed to control swine fever, UN official warns

The risk of African swine fever spreading further is "high" in China, where it has already caused heavy losses to the pig industry, and sustained efforts are needed to get the disease under control, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned.

As of Friday, 41 cases of ASF had been reported in China, resulting in more than 100,000 pigs being culled, Vincent Martin, FAO representative in China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"We believe ASF will bring serious economic losses to China's pig industry, but it is still too early to quantify the economic and social impact," Martin said. "We also think there is still a high risk for the disease to spread further, and all efforts should be maintained and control measures strengthened to keep the disease under control."