By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has confirmed an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak after several pigs were found dead in the Grogro informal settlement near Sherwood in Gqeberha.
Earlier this week, the municipality told residents that the detection of the disease posed no risk to human health, emphasising that African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs.
The municipality’s Director for Environmental Health, Dr Patrick Nodwele, along with municipal health officials, were alerted to the pig deaths. Upon arriving on site, they initially suspected poisoning.
“However, after engaging the State Veterinary Services and conducting the necessary tests, the final confirmed diagnosis was African Swine Fever,” Nodwele said.
African Swine Fever has become a recurring animal-health problem in South Africa’s pig sector, including in the Eastern Cape.
The national Department of Agriculture’s latest April update recorded 58 ASF outbreaks in the
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