Panic fever in China

The Chinese authorities have executed 916,000 pigs after about 100 outbreaks of African swine fever in the country, as the disease continues to spread in new provinces and larger farms.

Fever has appeared in 24 provinces and regions since its first outbreak in August, casting a shadow over trade in the world's largest pork market and related sectors. China was preparing about 700 million pigs in 2017.

African swine fever does not infect humans but leads to the death of pigs and there is still no vaccine or cure.

The rare announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture on the scale of fever-related executions comes after increased interest in other markets.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen last month asked Beijing not to "hide" information about the disease after a dead pig was found on a beach on Taiwan's Kinmen Island, about 10 kilometers from the coastal city of Xiamen. Later, it was confirmed that the pig was infected with African swine fever.

China has always followed the principles of openness and transparency with regard to the declaration of cases, said Guang Diefu, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture in a statement posted on the ministry's website.