China’s African Swine Fever Outbreak Could Spread to Korea, SE Asia
(Worthy News) – The Korean peninsular and Southeast Asia may be next to report outbreaks of African swine fever after the rapid onset of the deadly pig disease in China, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The outbreak in China is significant as the nation is home to more than half the world’s hogs, and pork is the country’s principal source of dietary protein. Pork is also popular in the Korean peninsular and Southeast Asia. China has so far culled 24,000 pigs in the four affected provinces, according to the FAO.
Besides being capable of killing every pig it infects, the virus is highly contagious and persistent. There’s no vaccine to protect hogs from catching it and culling infected animals and imposing strict containment measures are the way to limit further spread. [ Source: Bloomberg (Read More…) ]