African swine fever breaks out in Malawi
MALAWI - There is a major outbreak of African swine fever in the country and the entire pig population is at risk.A senior veterinary official in Ministry of Agriculture has since advised the public not to eat pork at the moment.
“It has the potential of wiping out the entire population of pigs because the situation is bad…and there is a likelihood that most of the pork might be infected especially the one sold on the roadside,“ said Dr. Danny Chinombo, Deputy Director of Animal Health in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Chinombo disclosed that the disease has been detected in Blantyre, Phalombe, Thyolo and Zomba, adding the fever can spread to other parts of the country.
The disease is caused by a virus and, according to Chinombo, it kills a pig within a day or two depending on the strain.
Source: Nation Malawi
21 March 2006
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