December 19, 2024
ASF detected in 32 Indonesian provinces
African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in 32 of Indonesia's 38 provinces, an official announced.
Authorities have raised concerns about the risk of further spread, as the disease has resulted in the deaths of thousands of swine across the country this year.
Sahat Panggabean, representing Indonesia's quarantine agency, identified East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and Riau as having the highest density of cases. He urged local leaders to increase awareness and ensure timely reporting of infections to the relevant authorities.
To contain the spread, Panggabean emphasised the importance of proper carcass disposal. "We provide specific lands to dispose of the carcasses, as well as incinerators to burn them," he said during a livestreamed government meeting. He also cautioned against the practice of discarding infected or deceased swine into rivers, calling on communities to adhere to safe disposal measures.
Panggabean did not offer an overall estimate of the number of swine lost to the disease this year. However, he reported that 6,273 swine had died in January in Central Papua province, with an additional 136 deaths recorded there in October. In Papua province, 220 deaths were reported in February.
In 2022, Indonesia experienced an outbreak in which 35,297 swine died from the disease in a herd of 285,034 on the Riau Islands near Singapore.
- Farmtario
