THE Negri Sembilan Veterinary Services Department has advised the public, especially wild boar hunters and pig farmers, to quickly report the death of any wild boar or commercially reared pig to the authorities.

Department director Kamarulrizal Mat Isa said this was because an 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 January 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,” he said in Seremban today.

“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 the department.”

Kamarulrizal, however, said the disease in Negri Sembilan is under control as only one death case involving wild boar or commercially reared pigs was reported so far.

“There were three ASF cases reported last year – two involving wild boar in Kuala Pilah and Tampin, and one at an unlicensed farm in Port Dickson,” he said.

Kamarulrizal 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.

A notification on the case has been distributed to all district and state veterinary service offices as well as the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, which has imposed a temporary ban on wild boar hunting activities as part of control measures, he said.

Kamarulrizal also reminded pig farmers to be vigilant and improve biosecurity on their farms to prevent the spread of the disease. – Bernama, January 28, 2023.