Microbiologist Warns Of More Swine Fever Cases

A leading microbiologist says the government needs to step up surveillance of pork imports as more cases of African swine fever are likely.

A case of swine fever in an imported pig prompted a cull of 6,000 animals last week and the temporary closure of the Sheung Shui slaughterhouse. Fresh pork supplies are expected to resume on Monday.

But Ho Pak-leung, of the University of Hong Kong, said officials needed to keep a watch on supplies of frozen and chilled pork, as well as live pigs, to prevent the spread of the disease.

"The African swine fever is not something for Hong Kong alone. It's a global problem," Ho said after taking part in a radio programme on Sunday. "As long as the infection remains prevalent on the mainland and in neighbouring countries I think we are going to see additional cases in the near future.

"The recent case of African swine fever is a reminder that we need to increase the surveillance, not only of live pigs imported from the mainland, but also of chilled and frozen pork from the mainland and other countries."

Mainland authorities have culled more than a million pigs since the African swine fever was first detected in the country in August.

Meanwhile Ho said that five recent cases of Hong Kong people contracting rat-based hepatitis E may only be the "tip of the iceberg". Three cases of the disease were revealed last week, after two last year.

Ho said many people may have contracted the disease but not been diagnosed because of the difficulty in testing for it.