In the past few days, local media in Malaysia have reported the re-emergence of African swine fever (ASF) in the state of Penang after a hiatus.
As of July 13, presence of the ASF virus had been confirmed at three farms in the Kampung Selamat area of the state in Peninsular Malaysia, reported New Straits Times.
At the first affected premises, 188 pigs had been culled or died, and 45 more carcasses had been removed from the farm. Authorities had been alerted when typical symptoms of ASF had been observed at the farm. Culling and disposal of carcasses had been completed or were underway at all three farms, when total mortalities were reported to be 120.
First ASF cases in Peninsular Malaysia were recorded in October 2021, according to official notifications to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Since then, outbreaks of the disease have been confirmed in nine of the 11 states in this region, including in Penang.
Prior to the latest cases in that state, WOAH had been notified by the Malaysian authorities of a series of outbreaks starting in February. Affected were close to 12,700 pigs at 48 farms in a different state in Peninsular Malaysia — Selangor. Additionally, one wild boar tested positive for the virus in the same state in early May.
ASF developments elsewhere in Asia
Compared with one month previously, active ASF outbreaks are ongoing in one more province of the Philippines.
These are located in four regions, according to the latest update from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (dated July 11). Affected by ongoing cases at that time were herds of domestic pigs in the Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Luzon on the island of Luzon, in Central Visayas, and in the Caraga region on Mindanao.
So far this year, the number of ASF outbreaks in the country has been lower than in 2024, according to the same source. Last year, cases spiked during July, and continued at elevated levels for the next two to three months.
Latest official figures from Vietnam’s agriculture ministry put the ASF outbreak total in the north of the country at 386, reported VN Express on July 14. These outbreaks directly impacted just over 22,000 domestic swine in 15 provinces and cities. More than 200 of the outbreaks started within the previous 21 days.
The situation is reported to be improved when compared to the same date of 2024, according to the same source.
Croatia, Poland confirm ASF cases in domestic pigs
To date in 2025, 12 European nations have recorded a total of 282 outbreaks in this population.
This is based on the Animal Disease Information System from the European Commission (EC; as of July 9). Through this database, the EC monitors cases of listed animal diseases in European Union member states and selected adjacent countries.
For comparison, 764 outbreaks were reported to the same source by 16 states during the whole of 2024.
Of this year’s outbreaks, 185 have been recorded in Romania. Next highest total is for Moldova, now with a total of 36 to date this year.
Over the period July 3-9, five additional outbreaks were confirmed in each of Croatia and Romania, and the totals for Moldova and Poland each rose by one.
Further detail on some of these developments are given in official notifications from the national animal health agencies to WOAH.
Bringing the nation’s total in this category so far this year to 16 were three recently reported outbreaks in Croatia.
Affecting herds comprising between 10 and 237 swine, all three occurred in the northeast of the country. While one was in Vukovar-Srijem — where previous outbreaks have been confirmed — the other two were in adjacent Osijek-Baranja. These were the first ASF cases in pigs in this county in 2025.
Meanwhile, Poland’s authorities have notified WOAH about one further outbreak in this population. Affected was a farm with around 1,950 swine in Greater Poland (Wielkopolskie).
Just one day later, presence of the ASF virus was confirmed by Poland’s chief veterinary inspectorate in a small herd in Lublin in the east of the country.
This brings the nation’s total outbreaks in domestic animals over the past month to four.
European wild boar outbreaks pass 7,000
As of July 9, 18 countries in the region had logged a total of 7,074 ASF outbreaks involving wild boar this year with the EC system.
This figure is rapidly approaching the 2024 total of 7,892 ASF outbreaks recorded by 21 states through the same database.
Registering a total of 123 new cases over the previous seven days were 10 countries. Highest numbers of recently confirmed outbreaks were in Germany (30), Latvia (22), Poland (21), Italy (16) and Hungary (14).
For the year to date, Poland’s total in this category is the largest at 2,416, followed by Germany (1,651) and Latvia (675).
After the recent detection of ASF in a new district in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the government of this western state has announced changes to the disease control zones.
The area where wild boar have tested positive for the ASF virus in the districts of Olpe, Siegen-Wittgenstein and Hochsauerland has been designated as “Restriction Zone II.”
Previously known as the “Infected Zone,” domestic pigs in this area must be kept housed, and can only be moved with authorization. Hunting of wild boar is banned.
Surrounding this core zone is a buffer zone approximately 10 kilometers wide. Within this “Restricted Zone I,” hunting for wild boar is being intensified to reduce the population. Pig farms there must demonstrate increased biosecurity, and there are restrictions on movements on and off the premises.
Public access to both zones is permitted. However, people must remain on marked paths, and dogs must be on the lead.
Further ASF cases in South African swine
This month, WOAH was notified by the veterinary authority of South Africa about three further ASF outbreaks involving domestic pigs.
In early April, presence of the virus was confirmed after one pig died out of a herd of 48 in Mogale city in Gauteng. This brought to 217 the total outbreaks in this disease series, which began in 2019.
Since early 2021, the outbreak total in a second ASF series centered on Western Cape has reached 63.
Latest to be reported infected with ASF were two village herds in the province in early February and early March.
View our continuing coverage of the global African swine fever situation.
