Taiwan has detected a 100% lethal African swine fever (ASF) mutant virus by examining dairy products from a passenger’s carry-on baggage from China.
According to local media reports in Taiwan, including the Free Times on the 19th, the Taiwan Veterinary Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture found pork products in the baggage of passengers from China the previous day.
As a result of the test, two types of genotypic African swine fever virus, which have been in vogue since 2018, and two types of viruses with a 100% mortality rate were detected in the drug.
Deng Ming-jung, head of the Veterinary Research Institute, said, “Since it was rediscovered in China last year, mutated viruses have been found in many parts of China, including Jiangsu, Henan, and Inner Mongolia.”
“If the mutant virus spreads to countries around Asia, another African swine fever pandemic could occur,” he said.
The reason why Taiwanese authorities have inspected the pork product is that they have prohibited passengers from entering Taiwan from countries with African swine fever since 2018. For this reason, it is said that there are still many cases of violations of the law, although they cannot enter Taiwan with pork products from China.
Until the 15th of this year, 1,733 cases of illegal imports of pork products from Taiwan were counted, of which 1,374 cases (79.9%) were from China. Tests of these products showed that the positive rate of African swine fever was 12.4%.
Meanwhile , African swine fever, which occurs only in pigs, is a viral type 1 livestock epidemic with a mortality rate of 100%, but a preventive vaccine has not yet been developed.
SALLY LEE
ASIA JOURNAL
