A shipment of pork dumpling export from China to the Philippines has been found to be infected with a extremely contagious virus that can quickly devastate livestock populations . Known asAfrican swine fever(AFS ) , the fatal disease can pop a pig within just a few days , but farm no effect in humans .
In astatementreleased over the weekend , the Philippine Bureau of Customs announced that the shipment had been intercept at Manila North Harbor on December 11 , after functionary note that it lacked a healthful permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry .
After being mail for analysis , the dumplings were bump to contain the ASF virus , and will now be buried to assure that the pathogen is not unleashed . Unlike Graeco-Roman swine fever , which is due to a separate virus , ASF has no vaccine or curative , meaning that outbreaks can only be halt by taking drastic measures such as cull huge numbers of pigs .
First detected in Africa in the early-20th century , the computer virus has since distribute around the world , with the Philippines experiencing its first eruption in July of last yr . The following month , officials place the culling of all pigs within a 1 - km ( 0.62 - sea mile ) r of the farm to which the eruption was traced , although news program reports suggest that many local farmersrefused to obliterate or hand over their animals .
fauna rights groups including PETA later claim that fuzz were being inhumanely stamp out , with suggestions that some of the creature were beingburied awake , although agriculture functionary have denied these accusations .
ASF can be transmitted by middleman with infected hog , as well as food products made from any animal carrying the disease . The virus can also survive on clothes and other item that it may have come into contact with , to be pass on to another animal at a later appointment .
Though human beings are not affect by the virus , they can extend it and therefore impart to its gap . Once a pig becomes infected , it may experience a range of symptoms , admit mellow feverishness , tegument rashes , diarrhoea , and vomiting , with death usually occurring a few 24-hour interval later . According to theWorld Organisation for Animal Health , mortality rate are think to be as gamey as 100 percent .
