[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] Concerns are rising over the re-spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) due to heavy rain and flooding sweeping through southern China.
On the 13th, Global Times reported that pig pens in flood-affected areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province, and Jiangxi Province in China have been submerged, with videos of live pigs floating in the water spreading online.
The newspaper cited experts saying that ASF mainly spreads through direct contact with infected pigs or contaminated feed, water, and food waste. Due to heavy rain and flooding, the boundaries of pig pens have disappeared, and pigs are being swept away by water, increasing the risk of ASF infection.
ASF, which swept through China in 2018-2019, is basically under control, but there is still no vaccine or treatment for ASF. Therefore, Chinese authorities have been blocking the spread of ASF by changing farming methods, such as thoroughly isolating infected pigs.
A veterinarian from China Agricultural University, who requested anonymity, explained, "The ASF virus is found not only in the blood of infected pigs but also in their excrement, so even healthy pigs have a high risk of infection if exposed to virus-contaminated water." He advised, "Once the flooding subsides, pig farms should strengthen monitoring for ASF infection," adding, "Timely disinfection will help prevent the spread of ASF."
Chinese authorities are also on high alert to prevent the re-spread of ASF due to flooding. Last week, through guidelines issued to livestock farms, they instructed, "Pig farms in southern China severely affected by flooding should thoroughly inspect pig-rearing environments and disinfect the surrounding areas after rainfall."
Meanwhile, in China, continuous heavy rain and flooding since last month have caused about 38 million displaced people and economic losses amounting to 82.23 billion yuan (approximately 14 trillion won). The day before yesterday, the National Flood and Drought Control Headquarters of China raised the emergency response level for flood preparedness from level 3 to level 2.
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