No more African swine fever outbreak was detected in Hanoi on March 18, according to the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Pigs with African swine fever culled (Source: kinhtedothi.vn)

The previous day, March 17, saw an outbreak in the city’s Dong Anh district.

Twenty-one days after first entering the capital, the disease has been reported in 29 households in 14 communes and wards of six districts: namely Long Bien, Dong Anh, Hoang Mai, Soc Son, Gia Lam and Quoc Oai. To date, 742 pigs have been culled.

On March 18, districts and towns in the city maintained strict control over the trading, slaughtering and transportation of pigs and pork products.

Authorised offices also took samples randomly to test for African swine fever in high-risk slaughterhouses.

African swine fever does not affect humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost always fatal. There is currently no antidote or vaccine, with the only known preventative measure being a mass cull of infected livestock. The disease spreads by contact between infected pigs or other wild animals and can inflict massive economic damage on farms.-VNA