Another wild boar carcass tested positive for African swine fever virus!
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department announced today (30th) that it received a report of the discovery of wild boars from the public a few days ago, and dispatched staff to the area around Tai Lan Lake in Sai Kung to follow up. A weak wild boar was found and later died. Laboratory tests showed that the sample was positive for African swine fever virus.
An AFCD spokesman said that African swine fever is a highly contagious disease between pigs and wild boars, but it is not a zoonotic infectious disease and cannot be transmitted to humans, so it does not pose a food safety risk. Pork can be eaten with confidence after it is thoroughly cooked. This case does not affect the supply of live pigs in Hong Kong.
▼In 2021, the AFCD first dispatched 7 wild boars on Shenwan Road to be humanely destroyed after being anesthetized▼
+1
Pig farms within three kilometers of the Great Blue Lake are currently unaffected
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that this case was tested positive for African swine fever virus after testing a sample collected from a wild boar carcass under the local wild boar African swine fever surveillance program, and will report the relevant testing to the World Organization for Animal Health. As a result, we will continue to monitor wild boar deaths that require attention and carry out wild boar monitoring.
The AFCD continued to point out that there is a pig farm within three kilometers of Tai Lam Lake, Sai Kung, where the wild pigs were released this time. The department will send staff to inspect the pig farm and follow up if necessary. Affected by the incident, all local pig farm managers have been immediately notified of the case and reminded to strengthen biosecurity measures to prevent wild boars from entering the pig farm and spreading the African swine fever virus.
African swine fever is a highly contagious disease among pigs and wild boars.
(file picture)
In order to strengthen the monitoring of African swine fever in local wild boars, the AFCD has been cooperating with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to implement the African swine fever monitoring programme for local wild boars since the end of 2019, including the detection of African swine fever virus for wild boar carcasses reported by the FEHD. Testing is planned to cover the New Territories and Kowloon, as well as any other areas where multiple wild boar deaths have occurred.
AFCD catches 2 wild boars on Mount Parker Road since November last year, 76 wild boars have been captured for humane destruction, a total of 73 wild boars have been killed AFCD plans to amend the regulations to expand the feeding area and raise the penalty within this year African Swine Fever｜Stanley Wild Boar Collective AFCD's autopsy test found three pigs with virus in Tai Po Huangyutan