African Swine Fever Discovered in Seventh Region

The number of provinces affected by African swine fever has hit seven, after eight pigs died Sunday in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region’s Xilin Gol, the Chinese authorities have confirmed.

A total of 17 outbreaks of the fever — which does not affect humans — have been reported in northern and eastern China since August, in provinces including Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Heilongjiang.

Nearly 40,000 pigs at farms where African swine fever has been found have been slaughtered to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, according to a Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announcement on Sept. 2.