KUALA LUMPUR – An outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected once again in the Keningau district in Sabah, involving a local pig farmer, said Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Jeffrey, who is also the State Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Industries, explained that 12 out of 20 pigs on the farm were found to be infected with ASF. As a result, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Keningau has implemented culling measures and movement control of pigs at the affected farm.
“This discovery has led to Keningau’s status changing from a green zone (Recovery Zone) back to a red zone (Infected Zone),” he said in a statement today.
Following field investigations, the affected pigs exhibited clinical symptoms such as loss of appetite, weakness, nasal discharge, and eventually death. Samples taken from the animals tested positive for ASF.
Keningau had previously been declared an ASF-infected district on July 1, 2021.
Currently, no new cases have been detected in wild boars, and all commercial pig farms in Tawau, Sandakan, Tenom, Papar, Tuaran, and Penampang remain free of ASF.
In the meantime, Jeffrey assured that swift control measures have been implemented by DVS in accordance with the directives under Subsection 45(2) of the 2015 Animals Enactment. These measures include movement restrictions on pigs and pig products from Keningau and enhanced active and passive surveillance across Sabah to prevent further spread of the disease.
Farmers have also been advised to strengthen biosecurity on their farms and pigsties, avoid feeding uncooked kitchen waste to pigs, and refrain from visiting infected farms.
Jeffrey further assured that the supply of pork for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations would be sufficient, sourced from local farms in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau. – January 12, 2025.