KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 – Vietnam has confirmed African swine fever in three farms, marking the first confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian nation.
Reuters reported yesterday Vietnam’s Animal Health Department as saying that all pigs on the farms in Hung Yen and Thai Binh provinces, southeast of Hanoi, were culled.
African swine fever, a severe and highly contagious viral disease of pigs that is harmless to humans, has reportedly spread quickly across China since August.
“The disease is not infectious for humans, so people and farmers shouldn’t panic,” Pham Van Dong, head of the department, was quoted telling a press conference in Hanoi.
Pork reportedly accounts for three quarters of Vietnam’s total meat consumption, where most of its 30 million farm-raised pigs are eaten domestically.
“Consumers can continue to use (pork) products and shouldn’t boycott these products,” Dong was quoted saying.
Malaysian Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Sim Tze Tzin told the press that “Malaysia has stepped up border controls to safeguard our borders from this disease.”
