China Finds African Swine Fever on Four Farms in a Single Day

Russia's authorities started a temporary ban on Bulgarian pigs and pork products.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations agency spearheading an worldwide effort to control the deadly virus, plans to release recommendations for governments after a crisis meeting in Bangkok this week.

BEIJING--China reported four cases of African swine fever on September 6, bringing the number of outbreaks to 13 since the virus was discovered in the country just over a month ago. More nations may follow, the FAO said.

African swine fever does not affect humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost always fatal.

The fever was first detected in China in early August and has been found in 18 farms or abattoirs in six provinces, with many cases more than a 1,000 km apart, the FAO said in a statement.

The FAO is hosting government and pork industry officials from across Asia Pacific at a three-day meeting that concludes Friday.

China reported a new case of African swine fever this week, raising risks of a further spread of the disease.

The situation should serve as an opportunity to warn travelers not to bring pig meat products from outside the European Union into any EU member-state, they said.

Highlighting the challenge though, South Korea had to ramp up quarantine measures at airports after finding a traveler carrying Chinese food infected with the disease.

Pigs being raised in a farm outside Shanghai, China.

FAO chief veterinarian Juan Lubroth said movement of products, rather than pigs, is likely to be responsible for the spread of ASF to different parts of China.

Although China is a major pork-producer, most its production is consumed domestically.

Small quantities of pork-containing products may be shipped internationally and possibly illegally, in food carried across borders, representing a risk to other countries, Wantanee said.