SVAY RIENG: A series pig deaths in Svay Rieng Province has raised suspicions of an African swine fever outbreak in the Kampong Ror district. Cambodian authorities are testing for the virus, but have yet to determine a definitive cause of the illness.

Pen Chanthy, Director of the Svay Rieng Veterinary Office, confirmed to EAC that in December 2023, when the weather was cold, a farmer buried three sick piglets. Since then, 80 pigs have died and been incinerated, leading experts to believe it could be an outbreak of the African swine flu. He said that his department was still waiting on test results to confirm the cause of death.

Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Im Rachana told EAC that testing has not yet yielded clear results because it seems the virus in the pigs had mutated, reflecting chronic illness and making it difficult to get definitive answers. She said that the sick pigs are being tested for swine fever, African swine fever, and bluetongue, all of which present similar symptoms.

"I would like to say no more and wait until the results are clear on any disease," she said.

While waiting for definitive test results, it seems the spread of disease in the local pigs has slowed down. Experts from the General Department of Animal Health and Animal Production continued to monitor the situation in the Kampong Ror District. Meanwhile, professionals have been deployed to surrounding districts to monitor the situation there.

The spokesperson called on all pig farmers to immediately report sick or dead pigs to local authorities and take timely action to avoid infecting other pigs in the area. She especially warned against selling pigs that have died prematurely as they can cause a public health risk.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages. It is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans and is not a food safety issue. While uncooked pork can contain the virus, it is only a threat to pigs that eat it.