Thailand detects African swine fever in Nakhon Pathom
Thai livestock officials on Tuesday launched urgent action after discovering the much-feared African swine fever (ASF) in a province neighbouring Bangkok.
The Livestock Development Department said a sample collected from a slaughterhouse in Nakhon Pathom tested positive for ASF, prompting emergency actions to stop the virus from spreading. Department chief Sorawit Thanito has declared a 5-kilometre containment zone around the slaughterhouse.
The infected sample was among a batch of more than 300 samples collected from pig farms and slaughterhouses in Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom on January 8-9. All other samples tested negative for ASF, said Sorawit.
Livestock officials are now tracing the source of the infected pig while liaising with the Pig Farmers Association, the Thailand Veterinary Dean Consortium and other agencies on how to contain the spread of the virus.
The department also called an emergency meeting of its ASF containment committee.
Sorawit noted that ASF virus does not cause disease in humans, so pork is safe to consume provided it is cooked at a temperature higher than 70 degrees Celsius.
Thai authorities earlier this week denied ASF was behind a shortage of pork supplies and soaring prices in Thailand.
