ASF confirmed in the Philippines
The Philippines is the latest Asian state confronted with an ASF outbreak, as test results conducted in the UK turned out positive in 14 cases out of 20. A large number of pig culling in the provinces of Rizal an Bulacan has triggered the alert at the end of August and the Filipino government has set up a task force to investigate the situation. Samples of blood have been collected from the dead pigs and were sent to laboratories abroad for tests.
"Out of the 20 blood samples, 14 are positive with African Swine Fever," admitted the Philippines’ agriculture secretary Dr. William Dar. 7,416 pigs had been culled in the affected areas, according to governmental sources, while an OIE report mentions 7,952 dead pigs in backyard farms. The country is the world's eighth-largest producer of pork and the industry is estimated at $5 billion The Department of Agriculture has tightened animal quarantine and food safety measures, prohibiting the transport of live animals and meat products without health and shipping permits. The regions affected by the outbreak are not far from Manilla. Other Asian countries fighting with the disease are China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, North Korea, Laos and Myanmar. Meantime, countries in the region have banned pork imports from the Philippines and increased controls in the airports for travelers coming from this destination.
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