African swine fever spreading in Uganda

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Officials in Uganda are concerned about the spread of African swine fever in the country.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Veterinary officials in Uganda have confirmed the presence of African swine fever (ASF) in the country’s Masaka District.
  Lawrence Mayanja, the Kabonera Sub-county veterinary officer, confirmed the ASF outbreak, saying that a number of animals in the area have so far died as a result of contracting the disease, which he says is still spreading.
  According to an AllAfrica report, ASF has been confirmed in the Udandan parishes of Kabonera 'B', Kiziba, Kasanje and Kyamuyimbwa and parts of Rakai District.
  Mayanja has stressed that because some producers have not  been practicing recommended biosecurity measures, and because there have been problems with people smuggling meat in the region, Ugandans should only purchase pork from selling points with which they are familiar.
  ASF is caused by a virus, which infects domestic and wild pigs. A type of soft-bodied tick that lives in the animal’s burrows transmits the virus.
  ASF continues to be a concern for those in the global pig industry. In recent months, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has reported confirmed cases of the pig disease in numerous countries in the Baltic region and in Africa. Among the countries with recent confirmed ASF cases are Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Cabo Verde.