Taiwan Intercepts More ASF Contaminated Food Being Brought Into The Country

Confiscated Items - Credit BAPHIQ

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With the Chinese New Year's holiday less than two weeks away, millions of Asians are already traveling to visit friends and relatives in what has become the largest human annual migration on the planet. 

It is estimated that more than 2 billion passenger trips will occur across Asia over the next 30 to 40 days.

While each year we worry about what respiratory viruses they might be carrying with them - particularly novel influenza - this year what they are carrying in their luggage has to potential to spread a very different type of virus; African Swine Fever. 

Although China has reported fewer outbreaks this month than last, the number of ASF contaminated food products that turn up at foreign airports continues to rise.

China: No ASF Reports For A Week - But Taiwan Continues To Intercept Contaminated Foodstuffs

Australia Interdicts ASF Positive Food At Their Border

People often want to bring `a taste of home' with them when they travel, as gifts, or for their own consumption, and that can pose a very grave threat as explained last August in African swine fever (ASF) threatens to spread from China to other Asian countries.

A robust virus with a long life

The ASF virus is very hardy and can survive long periods in very cold and very hot weather, and even in dried or cured pork products. The strain detected in China is similar to one that infected pigs in eastern Russia in 2017 but, so far, and while the investigations continue, the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center has found no conclusive evidence of this latest outbreak's source or linkages.

"The movement of pig products can spread diseases quickly and, as in this case of African Swine Fever, it's likely that the movement of such products, rather than live pigs, has caused the spread of the virus to other parts of China," explained Juan Lubroth, FAO's Chief Veterinarian.

Today Taiwan's BAPHIQ (Bureau of Animal Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine) has announced 4 more interceptions of ASF contaminated food stuffs being brought into the country from China.

        (translated)

Continued border monitoring, 4 cases of African swine fever virus genes were detected from pork products in mainland China

The Central Hunger Disaster Response Center of Africa has said that four cases of African swine fever virus genes have been detected in pork products in mainland China. This is the 15th to 18th case positive cases. The first 14 cases were in 107 years respectively. 1 case on October 31, November 13 and November 30, 2 cases on December 12, December 20, December 21, and January 3, 1 each, January 5 For example, 2 cases on January 10 and 2 cases on January 20.

The 15th case was sampled by the Hsinchu Branch of the Anti-inspection Bureau on January 14th in the case of express violations. It is the ham produced in Shandong Province of China. The 16th case is also the sample of the Hsinchu Branch on January 17th. Dried (3 squirrels), produced in Jiangsu Province, China; the 17th and 18th cases were sampled by the Kaohsiung Branch of the Bureau on January 11th. The sausages and sausages from Tianjin passengers were illegally sampled (Qiulinli Daos) Red sausage), the passenger part has completed the penalty. The sample was sent to the Animal Health Laboratory on the 18th.

After the test and confirmed by sequencing, the gene fragment sequence was 100% similar to the genetic fragment of the Chinese swine fever virus strain in mainland China, indicating that the passenger returned the country from China. The risk of spreading African swine fever is extremely high.

The 15th and 16th cases are the first cases in which the pig swine fever virus gene was detected in the samples of the express violation and the people sent to the animal quarantine unit. It means that regardless of the input route, as long as the pork products produced in the infected area are Risk of carrying a virus.

The Central Disaster Relief Center of African Hog ​​reminds the public that if they hold unidentified meat, the correct way to deal with them is to be sent to the local bureaus of the Anti-Inspection Bureau for treatment by professionals. After the statistics until January 22, the branches received a total of 269. 160 kilograms of the pieces have been collected and packaged and destroyed in a unified manner to avoid the risk of transmission of immune diseases. In the courier violation input section, from August 2007 to December 2007, the Customs and Excise Department seized 18 cases of high-risk areas (China, Hong Kong and Macao) for importing pork products by express delivery violations. 130 kg.

In addition, the countries (regions) with foreign pigs who have had African pigs in the past three years have illegally carried pork products, and they have been fined 200,000 yuan (including above) and cannot pay the amount on the spot. Because pork products have a high spread of diseases. Risks, which have been identified as prohibited, will be denied entry if they endanger our interests, public safety or public order. Those who have not paid the fines before the implementation of the above measures will be sentenced by the Immigration Bureau to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior and the Consular Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the refusal of re-entry and visas. Issues issued. A person who excludes Chinese nationals, obtains a residence status, and has a stay in the mainland for more than six months.

The Central Disaster Relief Center of the African Hog ​​Cholera finally reminded the public not to send meat from the infected areas online to Taiwan. The undeclared quarantine was found to be punished by imprisonment for up to 7 years and a fine of NT$3 million or less. The penalty is quite heavy. Do not try the law.