African Swine Fever 2019 Status: Cumulative Number of Sea-Drifted Pig Carcasses Reaches Double Digits

Two more sea-drifted African swine fever pig carcasses were added in one go, bringing the cumulative total to 10! On the 7th, the Central Emergency Operation Center for African Swine Fever announced two sea-drifted pig carcasses with African swine fever, which were the sea-drifted pigs found on the shore at Cihu Triangle Fort in Jinning Township, Kinmen County on the 4th and at Shangyi Beach in Jinhu Township on the 5th. After testing by the Animal Health Research Institute, they were confirmed positive for African swine fever virus nucleic acid. When these two sea-drifted pig carcasses were found, they were already mostly decomposed. Because there are pig farms within a 3-kilometer radius of the locations where the sea-drifted African swine fever pig carcasses were found, pigs and their products in Kinmen were again placed under a ban, with transport out suspended for at least 1 week.

The Emergency Operation Center explained that the Kinmen Animal Disease Control Center received reports from the Golden-Matsu-Penghu Branch of the Coast Guard Administration on June 4 and 5 that one pig carcass had been found on the shore at Cihu Triangle Fort in Jinning Township and one at Shangyi Beach in Jinhu Township respectively. The Animal Disease Control Center went to the scene to collect relevant specimens and burned and buried the pig carcasses on site. The specimens were sent to the Animal Health Research Institute for testing. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, the results showed that the African swine fever virus nucleic acid was positive in both cases, and the gene fragment sequence had a 100% similarity to the gene fragment of the African swine fever virus strain from mainland China.

Based on geographical location, it is judged that these two pig carcasses drifted over from China; currently, there are 10 cases in total of sea-drifted pigs testing positive for African swine fever virus nucleic acid, including: 8 cases in Kinmen County and 2 cases in Matsu. The Emergency Operation Center also stated that on the 7th another sea-drifted pig carcass was found, specimens were collected and sent for testing, the pig carcass has been burned and buried, and the test results will be available within 2 to 3 days.

With 2 cases appearing in one go, the frequency of sea-drifted pigs drifting over is too high, raising suspicions about whether the epidemic in China has become more serious. Hsu Jung-pin, section chief of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine of the Council of Agriculture, said that sea-drifted pigs have been continuously appearing in Kinmen and Matsu recently, but not every pig carcass will test positive for African swine fever virus nucleic acid, so it can only be said that China's African swine fever epidemic is still serious and has not yet been brought under control.

The Emergency Operation Center added that the locations where the dead pigs were found have been thoroughly disinfected by the Kinmen Animal Disease Control Center. Within a 3-kilometer radius of the two discovery sites, there are a total of 4 pig farms. After clinical examinations by veterinarians from the township offices, their health was good with no abnormalities, and movement controls and sampling monitoring were carried out on site. Within 3 kilometers of the location where the pig carcass was found on the 4th, there are 2 pig farms with a total of 768 pigs; within the area around the location where the pig carcass was found on the 5th, there are also 2 pig farms, raising a total of 787 pigs.

As for the rule banning transport out for at least 1 week, the Emergency Operation Center stated that to ensure the overall safety of the industry, the transport of pigs and their products from Kinmen County to Taiwan and other outlying islands will be suspended for at least 1 week, but pork jerky and pork floss produced by 7 companies that have passed inspection (Liang Jin, Gao Keng, Lao Nong Zhuang, Qiao An Ranch, Master Hung, Yi Lai Shun, and Jin Jia Wang) may still be transported to the main island of Taiwan and other outlying islands.

The cumulative number of sea-drifted African swine fever pig carcasses has reached 10.