AN outbreak of swine fever has hit Malawi’s northern district of Karonga, threatening at least 20 000 pigs in the district alone, a veterinary official said on Thursday. Patrick Chikungwa, the district’s veterinary officer said a quarter of the pigs in the region have been affected by the disease which has killed at least some 79 pigs so far. The movement of pigs has been suspended in a bid to contain the outbreak, while all infected animals are being killed. At least 70 pigs died of the disease in a southern Balaka district, 120 kilometres north of the commercial capital Blantyre in August. Swine fever is an intestinal viral disease which occurs in pigs during the warmer months of the year, triggering fever, loss of appetite and diarrhoea. Malawi has 450,000 pigs, mainly reared for domestic consumption. – AFP