GEORGE TOWN, Jan 17 — The Penang state government has confirmed that four more pig farms in the state are affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak, bringing the total of affected commercial farms to 11.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said it involved two farms in the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district and two more in Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS).
He said the outbreak is showing no signs of abating and is likely to worsen without an effective vaccine against ASF.
"Previously, seven farms were affected namely two in SPT and five in Perkampungan Valdor in SPS. Currently, the Penang Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) is carrying out sampling work in (other) pig farms.
“So far, 4,000 pigs in three farms (infected with ASF) have been culled, and culling will continue in other farms,'' he told reporters here today.
Last Friday, Penang declared the ASF outbreak a disaster after cases were reported in seven more commercial pig farms involving 25,000 animals in the two districts.
Meanwhile, Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the police mounted roadblocks, one in Bukit Teh, SPT and three in Perkampungan Valdor to control the movement of live pigs or pig carcasses in areas where the ASF was detected to ensure the disease does not spread to other areas.
According to state DVS data, there are 124 pig farms in Penang with a total of 267,348 pigs.
— Bernama
