SEREMBAN - The Negeri Sembilan Veterinary Services Department (JPVNS) has advised the public, especially wild boar hunters and swine breeders, to quickly report the death of any wild boar or commercially reared pig to the authorities.
JPVNS director Dr Kamarulrizal Mat Isa said this was after a positive African Swine Fever (ASF) case was detected involving a dead male wild boar, which was reported by a worker at an oil palm plantation at Ladang Sengkang, Pasir Panjang, Port Dickson on Jan 3.
He said early notification would enable the department to take immediate action to prevent the spread of the disease in the state as the ASF virus can survive for long periods in tissues of infected animals.
"The bone samples obtained from the decomposed boar were found to be positive for ASF disease.
"ASF infection involving the dead wild boar may still occur because it is difficult to control, but efforts to control the spread to commercially-reared pigs are being actively carried out by JPVNS,” he told Bernama here today.
Kamarulrizal however, said the ASF disease infection in Negeri Sembilan is under control as only one death case involving wild boars or commercially reared pigs reported so far.
"There were three ASF cases reported last year namely two involving wild boars in Kuala Pilah and Tampin, and one at an unlicensed farm in Port Dickson,” he said.
He said the public need not worry because ASF is a non-zoonotic disease that does affect humans either through direct contact with the infected animal or by consuming pork from ASF-infected pigs.
The notification letter on the case had been distributed to all district and state veterinary service offices, as well as the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) which had imposed a temporary ban on wild boar hunting activities as part of control measures, he added.
Kamarulrizal also reminded swine breeders to be vigilant and improve biosecurity on their farms to prevent the spread of the disease. - BERNAMA