Swine Fever outbreak confirmed!

A new outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) has been found on a farm in Gauteng recently.

The farm has been put under quarantine and the Provincial Veterinary Services are trying to find out if any other farms were in contact with the infected farm.

They are still trying to figure out where the infection came from, but they think it might have been on the farm since December. Other farms in Gauteng, North West, and Free State have also been quarantined as a precaution. This is because outbreaks of swine fever have been happening in South Africa since 2019 and have affected many areas of the country.

The department says that the spread of the disease has slowed down, but they are still warning pig farmers and pig keepers to only buy pigs from healthy herds and to prevent contact between their pigs and other pigs or wildlife.

They also advise people to wash their hands before and after handling pigs and to shower and wear clean clothes and shoes before moving to other farms.

If you see any increased pig deaths or unusual symptoms, you should report it to the local State veterinary office. The department is reminding everyone that it is important to be careful and not spread the disease to other farms and animals.

The department also said, “Farms in Gauteng, North West and Free State have been placed under precautionary quarantine as a result of this. The ASF status of these farms will be confirmed before precautionary quarantine can be lifted.”

The department also advised, “Anyone who has contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after handling the pigs.

Before moving to other farms, one should ensure that they have thoroughly showered and to only use clean clothes, shoes, and equipment.”

Finally, the department emphasized, “The importance of biosecurity is again emphasised, both to protect your own animals, and to prevent the inadvertent spread to other pigs.

Veterinarians are urged to rule out ASF whenever there is increased mortality on a farm.”

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