African swine fever hits two more Chinese provinces
- Total number of provinces affected now 22 just weeks ahead of peak demand at Lunar New Year
- Government says there will be plenty of pork to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Pig
The deadly African swine fever virus is continuing to spread through China, with the total number of affected provinces rising to 22, but fears that pork will be in short supply when the country welcomes the Year of the Pig in February are being downplayed.
As of Friday, two more provinces had been affected, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV, on top of the 20 which had reported virus outbreaks as of three weeks ago.
The report did not name the two new provinces, but one of them has been confirmed as Qinghai.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Wednesday, there have been recent outbreaks in Sichuan in the southwest – which has previously been affected – and Qinghai in northwestern China.
The Qinghai outbreak affected 69 pigs and is believed to be the first case in the high-altitude province, according to the United Nations.
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“The current African swine fever outbreak in the country is being found in scattered spots, it is not pandemic. The epidemic is generally under control,” said Feng Zhongwu, from the ministry’s animal husbandry and veterinary department.