July 8, 2004

Brazil's Northeast Registers Swine Fever Case

A case of classical swine fever has been registered in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceara, the Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday.

The case, the first in Brazil this year, was discovered in the municipality of Caucaia, near the state capital of Fortaleza.

The Ministry said the outbreak should not affect Brazil's pork exports, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates at 425,000 tons this year, as Ceara is not an exporting state.

"(The outbreak) occurred outside the swine fever-free zone, which currently extends to 13 states," said the Ministry in a statement.

Swine fever is a viral disease fatal for pigs, but there are no known cases of humans being infected with the disease.