Cambodia reports ASF outbreak
This week, Cambodia reported its first ASF outbreak to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Since March 22, 400 backyard pigs have died from African Swine Fever virus and 100 have been culled by authorities to stop the disease from spreading.
Cases were reported in Soamkanign, Soam Thom, Oyadav and Rattanakiri, in a region bordering Vietnam, announced Dr Sen Sovann, Director General for Animal Health and Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Cambodian authorities have instituted measures for movement control of animals inside the country. The virus was probably contacted from Vietnamese pigs or pork products bought from Vietnam or China.
The pig sector is characterized by small, family-owned farms, with only a few important players running commercial enterprises on a high scale. In 2018, Cambodia had 2.8 million pigs in these farms, with 2 million raised by small, family-owned businesses and the rest raised for commercial purposes. There are 670 pig farms in the country, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Around 5,000 pigs are consumed on a daily bases in Cambodia and at least 1,500 are imported to cover the domestic demand.
OIE is monitoring the events as the spreading of the virus is expected to continue. "Farmers in Asia have limited knowledge of this disease and its specific epidemiology having only recently been introduced to the region. Despite public awareness campaigns, most of the countries and stakeholders in Asia are unprepared for ASF introduction and spread", according to a UN's FAO press release.
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