African Swine Fever is continuing to make its way through commercial pig farms in China.
The World Health Organization reports that more than 50 cases have been confirmed across 14 Chinese provinces. Many of those 50 cases are in the most pig-dense areas of the country. Officials are worried about the virus possibly spreading to other countries like Vietnam, which is an emerging U.S. pork market, as well as Laos.
African Swine Fever is also continuing to spread through Europe via feral hogs. The virus remains limited in Belgium, but is much more active in other countries like Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and points east of those countries.
China is home to approximately 55-percent of the world?s hogs, 40-percent of which are so-called ?backyard hogs,? making the disease that much harder to contain.
The National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, along with USDA and others all have resources available to help pork producers learn more on how to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever and protect the U.S. from an outbreak.
