China confirms new African swine fever cases in Sichuan, Heilongjiang
17 December, 2018
China confirmed two new cases of African swine fever, as the disease continues to spread through the world's largest hog herd, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said late on Sunday (Dec 16) in a statement on its website.
One outbreak occurred on a farm of 210 pigs in Yanting county in the southwestern province of Sichuan, killing 26.
Another case was confirmed in a district of the city of Jixi in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang where 24 pigs died on a farm of 84 pigs.
China has reported about 90 cases of the disease since it was first confirmed in the country in early August.
The disease does not affect humans but is often fatal to animals. With no antidote or vaccine, the only known control method is to cull animals.
Swine fever has already caused a spike in pork prices in China and fuelled growing fears of a major impact on the world's largest pig producer.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in August that the disease could spread to other parts of Asia.