Taiwan may have reported its first suspected case of African Swine Fever (ASF). The Executive Yuan Food Safety Office pointed out that the ASF virus does not have zoonotic transmission, meaning it cannot be transmitted between animals and humans. Even if pigs are infected, there is no direct risk to human health. However, the public should still pay attention to the legal sourcing of pork, look for traceability records, the Taiwan Premium Agricultural Product labeling, or the slaughterhouse hygiene inspection mark, to ensure the safety and hygiene of meat consumption.
According to a report by the Central News Agency on the 24th, an abnormal pig death outbreak occurred at a pig farm in Taichung City that uses food waste as feed. The Pig Research Institute detected African Swine Fever positive cases. To prevent the spread of the epidemic, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on the 22nd a nationwide prohibition of pig transport and slaughter for five days, a ban on using food waste to feed pigs, and set up an emergency response team to conduct an epidemiological investigation. The Ministry also convened the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to discuss follow-up measures for food waste recycling, among other initiatives.
The Food Safety Office explained in a written statement that African Swine Fever is a highly contagious and fatal pig disease caused by the African Swine Fever virus. The virus infects pigs, including domestic pigs and wild boars, and does not infect humans, classifying it as a non-zoonotic disease.
As for the symptoms of African Swine Fever infection, the Food Safety Office stated that infected pigs usually show high fever, loss of appetite, weakness, purple or reddish spots on the skin or ears, and widespread internal bleeding. The mortality rate in certain viral strains or conditions can approach 100%. Regarding transmission routes, the Food Safety Office indicated that the virus spreads through contact with infected pigs, blood, secretions, feces, as well as contaminated pork, tools, vehicles, clothing, and other objects.
The Food Safety Office emphasized that African Swine Fever is not a zoonotic virus, so the virus in infected pigs cannot be transmitted to humans. Even if pigs become infected, there is no direct health risk to humans. Still, pork consumers should pay attention to purchasing from legal sources, look for traceability records, the Taiwan Premium Agricultural Product labeling, or the slaughterhouse hygiene inspection mark, opt for pork sourced from legal and regulated slaughtering and processing systems, and ensure meat safety by thoroughly cooking.
The Food Safety Office stressed that although the African Swine Fever virus cannot be transmitted to humans, it can cause significant impact to the pig farming industry and related supply chains. Therefore, central and local governments will continue to monitor the development of the outbreak and track the flow of pork affected by the epidemic into the food market, handling these situations in accordance with the law.