Kota Kinabalu: Keningau has reverted to red zone (Infected) status from its previous green zone (Recovery) classification following the detection of a new African Swine Fever (ASF) case on Jan. 7.
The case occurred at a village pig farm where 12 out of 20 pigs were affected.
Advertisement“The Keningau Veterinary Services Department has carried out disposal and movement control measures at the farm,” said State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in a statement, Sunday.
“Field investigations revealed clinical signs in the affected pigs including loss of appetite, weakness, nasal discharge and eventual death.
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He said the Veterinary Services Department has implemented immediate control measures under Subsection 45(2) of the Animal Enactment 2015, including restricting pig and pork product movements from Keningau.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Active and passive surveillance has been intensified throughout Sabah to prevent disease spread,” he said.
Farmers are advised to enhance farm and pen biosecurity measures.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});They are prohibited from feeding uncooked kitchen waste to pigs and visiting infected farms.
Jeffrey also warned against purchasing live pigs or pork from sources with unknown health status.
“ASF is caused by the Asfvirus pathogen, spreading through direct contact with infected pigs or indirect contact with contaminated equipment or handlers,” he said.
The public, especially farmers and pig farm operators, are urged to report any incidents of continuous pig illness or death to the nearest Veterinary Service Department office for immediate action.
The Ministry assured that pork supply for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration remains sufficient from local pig farms in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau.
Keningau was previously declared ASF-infected on July 1, 2021. Currently, no new cases have been detected in wild boars and commercial pig farms in Tawau, Sandakan, Tenom, Papar, Tuaran,and Penampang remain disease-free.
“It is important to note that ASF only affects pigs and is not zoonotic, it cannot spread to humans. Therefore, the public should not be concerned about ASF affecting human health,” Jeffrey said.