KOTA KINABALU, Jan 12 — A recurrence of the African Swine Flu (ASF) has been found among village pigs in Keningau, said Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister said the case was detected on Jan 7, involving a village pig farmer.

"A total of 12 pigs out of 20 in the farmer’s herd were affected,” Jeffrey said in a statement today.

The deputy chief minister I said the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Keningau conducted disposal and movement control of pigs at the farm.

"This discovery has changed Keningau’s status from a green zone (recovery zone) back to a red zone (infected zone),” Jeffrey said.

According to him, field investigations revealed that the pigs exhibited clinical signs such as reduced appetite, lethargy, nasal discharge, and eventual death.

"Samples were collected, tested, and confirmed positive for ASF.”

Jeffrey said rapid control actions were taken by DVS in accordance with Section 45(2) of the Animal Enactment 2015.

"These actions included imposing movement restrictions on pigs and pig products from the Keningau district, enhancing active and passive surveillance across Sabah to prevent the spread of the disease and advising farmers to strengthen farm and pen biosecurity measures.”

He said DVS is also prohibiting farmers from feeding uncooked kitchen waste to pigs or visiting infected pens or farms, as well as advising farmers not to purchase live pigs or pork from unknown or unverified sources.

"ASF is caused by the ASF virus pathogen. It infects pigs through direct contact with ASF-infected pigs or indirectly through contact with contaminated equipment or handlers.

"The public, especially pig farmers and farm operators, are urged to report incidents of sick or dying pigs to the nearest DVS office for immediate action to contain the disease promptly.”

Jeffrey said the ministry, through DVS, assures that the pork supply for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations is sufficient, sourced from local pig farms in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau.

Previously, Keningau was declared an ASF-infected district on July 1, 2021. Currently, no new cases have been detected among wild boars. All commercial pig farms in Tawau, Sandakan, Tenom, Papar, Tuaran and Penampang remain ASF-free.

It is emphasised that ASF only affects pigs and is not zoonotic. Therefore, the public should not worry about ASF affecting human health. — The Borneo Post