The only Asian country officially confirming cases of African swine fever (ASF) over the past week is the Philippines.
A further 69 outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) have occurred in the Philippines, according to the latest report from the national agriculture department to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Occurring between October 30 last year and March 6, the latest cases were mainly among backyard pig herds. Communities in 15 provinces on the island of Luzon were affected by these outbreaks. More than 42,000 pigs were lost to the disease through mortality or culling.
Based on official reports to the OIE, there have now been 277 confirmed ASF outbreaks on Luzon, and direct losses of animals are approaching 252,000.
More wild boar have ASF in South Korea
A total of 24 more wild boar in South Korea have tested positive for the ASF virus, according to reports to the OIE from the agriculture ministry over the past week.
These animals were found in the previously affected areas of Paju and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi province, as well as the Cheorwan and Hwacheon regions of Gangwon. They are located near to the border with North Korea, where the ASF situation remains unreported.
Latest cases bring the country’s total number of ASF-infected wild boar to 430, according to Yonhap news agency. There have been no cases among domestic pigs in South Korea since October 2019.
Vietnam imports pork from Russia
Last week, it was reported that Vietnam would be importing pork to fill the gap in supply resulting from the loss of around six million pigs due to ASF. The government looked to imports to help hold down the recent dramatic rise in pork prices for consumers.
Pork imports are already arriving at ports, reports Vietnam News. Latest consignments include 1,500 metric tons (mt) from Russian pork company, Miratorg. Under agreements with 15 Vietnamese importers, the firm has agreed to ship a further 2,000 mt of pork to the Southeast Asian nation to ease pressure on domestic supplies.
Global hopes have been raised for an effective vaccine against ASF. Researchers in China and the United Kingdom report successful results in preliminary tests of an experimental vaccine. Larger field-scale trials are now planned.
View our continuing coverage of the global African swine fever situation.
