It’s been 3 weeks since Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had announced that Malaysians are no longer required to wear masks for both indoor and outdoor venues.
When looking at the number of cases we’ve been having, it can be seen that the average cases have been going down and sometimes spiking not more than new cases a day. All in all, it seems that our Covid-19 situation is “under control”.
Unfortunately, despite this news, it looks like Malaysians will need to be a bit more careful now as the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) confirmed that there had been an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) at two commercial pig farms in Kerian, Perak on September 17 & 18.
Detected via PCR test
According to the DVS, the outbreak was confirmed as the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) had conducted a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
“The infected farms have been sealed and prohibited from any transportation of pigs or movement of vehicles. In addition to surveillance, clinical inspections and sampling at the affected commercial pig farms have been carried out. The conditions for moving pigs and pork products from the state of Perak to the rest of Malaysia have also been tightened,” they said.
As this is a serious case, DVS says that the pigs affected will be culled and disposed of quickly.
What is African Swine Fever (ASF)?
ASF is a highly contagious virus that passes from one pig to another via direct contact of bodily fluids from an infected pig.
The symptoms of ASF are as follows:
- Breathing difficulties
- Coughing
- Diarrhea
- High fever
- Lethargy
- Poor appetite
- Red/ blotchy marks on skin
- Vomiting
Do not panic
We all know that when someone states the word “outbreak”, it may tend to cause panic among the public. Fear not as DVS assured that the outbreak is under control and the only affected district is Kerain.
For those who don’t know where Kerain is in Perak.
On a good note, the African Swine Fever virus is not transmissible from animals to humans. Although we are safe from it, DVS had taken extra measures and called upon farmers to follow safety protocols to strengthen their biosecurity practices.
Farmers are advised that all clothing, equipment and transport vehicles will need to undergo a thorough disinfection process to avoid cross-contamination toa void further spread of the virus.
Pig farmers in the country are also to report to the district veterinary services office (PPVD) and state veterinary service office or directly to the Crisis Management Room hotline of the Putrajaya Veterinary Service Department if farmers find any signs of the virus.
Meanwhile, the public is also advised to not directly purchase live pigs by those being transported by vehicles or pig farms.
Thankfully the outbreak is not infectious to humans but it’s still good to take precaution on the situation. Hopefully the situation is under control because no one wants to have another health issue going on again.
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Department of Veterinary Services & various cross references for context.
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