The first round of African swine fever inspections at hog farms nationwide has found no abnormalities, and the first phase of containment has successfully prevented the outbreak from spreading, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said today.
“We can relax a bit, but we cannot let our guard down,” said Tu, who is leading the African swine fever response unit that was established after Taiwan’s first African swine fever case was detected in Taichung on Tuesday last week.
Taiwan still has only one confirmed case of the disease, she told a news conference at the Taichung branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency this morning.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The unit has launched a targeted epidemiological investigation to identify any gaps in prevention efforts, it said.
Officials have also confirmed that all 78 pigs at the contaminated farm have been accounted for, and it is investigating potential violations at the facility, including failure to report kitchen waste disposal and the owner’s decision to medicate sick pigs after seeking telephone advice from an unlicensed veterinarian, the unit said.
It advised pig farmers to thoroughly disinfect facilities, strengthen controls on personnel and vehicle movement and make every effort to contain the virus.
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