The swine fever outbreak in the Eastern Cape has been brought under control, the Agriculture and Land Affairs Department said on Friday.
Spokesperson Steve Galane said only small areas in the Western and Eastern Cape were still affected by the disease that was detected last month.
The three areas still affected are Queenstown, Cookhouse near Port Elizabeth and the Mnquma-Mbashe municipality.
”The South African Pig Producers’ Organisation, veterinary services and all provincial departments of agriculture are working together to control the outbreak,” said Galane.
”Intensive surveillance measures have been put in place all over the country in order to immediately detect any possible extension of the outbreak.”
Galane said no live pigs — domestic pigs, bush pigs and wart hogs — were allowed to move through, into or out of the affected areas and no pork products, raw or processed, were allowed out of the quarantined areas.
Veterinary movement control measures were instituted to monitor all live pig and pig carcass transports across all provincial boundaries throughout the country.
Swine fever, also known as hog cholera or European swine fever, is a viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. The disease cannot be treated and the virus can survive in pig meat products, as well as frozen pig carcasses, for extended periods of time.
Swine fever is not known to pose a public health risk, but pigs that have died should not be consumed, said Galane. – Sapa