ASF Sri Lanka: Virus reaches 21st country in Asia
African Swine Fever (ASF) has reached the 21st country in Asia: Sri Lanka. Local news outlets had already been reporting the death of pigs, and so had the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Formal confirmation has followed now by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
A recent WOAH report speaks of 3 infections on farms, which all started on 25 October 2024. All 3 were found in the west of the country within a 100 km radius from the capital Colombo.
Reported ASF farm outbreaks in Sri Lanka
The largest of the 3 was a farm in Madampe in the North Western Province, in Puttalam district, straight to the north of Colombo. Here, the virus emerged on a farm with 855 pigs. In total, 301 pigs had died.
A farm in Bollaththa, Ganemulla in the Western Province, in Gampaha district, reported an outbreak in a farm with 564 pigs, of which 91 animals had perished. This farm is located in the outskirts of metropolitan Colombo, with almost 6 million inhabitants.
A 3rd farm was also found positive in Ja-ela, Western Province, also in the Gampaha district. On this farm, 282 pigs were present and the vast majority (251) had died. As the crow flies, this farm was about 5 km away from the other farm in this province.
ASF likely advanced further in Sri Lanka
In line with outbreaks elsewhere in Asia, it is likely to assume that the outbreaks have advanced to a much more serious level though. That is at least the message emerging from local sources. The country’s Department of Animal Production and Health itself already declared the first outbreaks late October. Where the FAO website speaks of 20,000-25,000 porcine victims in Western Province alone, local media have reported that the virus has also reached Uva Province, Northern Province and North Western Province as well.
The majority of Sri Lanka’s population is Buddhist (just over 70%), while 7% are Christian. Pork, therefore, is being eaten – the island’s cuisine roughly resembles that of South Asia and South East Asian countries.
Other ASF cases in the Far East
Previously, as from 2017, ASF protruded into Asia via Siberia. In August 2018, the virus emerged into China, after which the virus spread very quickly across the continent. Apart from these 21 Asian countries now infected, the virus also reached Papua New Guinea in March 2020 – technically this country is considered part of the continent Oceania.
Taiwan did communicate the finding of ASF virus in pigs that washed up on the shores, but since they had likely drifted from mainland China, Taiwan itself has maintained a negative ASF status.
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